Inside the West Country town where high street is left empty but economy is booming

It has some empty shops - but that's not the full story

One West Country town's centre may present a misleading narrative with its multiple vacant shop fronts, which were primarily ex-chain retail units, giving the impression of economic struggle. Stroud, however, is brimming with life, particularly among its independent shops and eateries, which contrast sharply with at least 13 empty premises seen during a recent tour of the town.

Even the drive away from Stroud leaves visitors musing over the economic paradox presented by such an historically rich town, bordered by nearly golden autumnal trees, yet showing signs of hard times in its town centres. Nevertheless, insights provided by GloucestershireLive paint quite a different picture – Stroud's economy is quite the opposite of struggling; it's flourishing.

Town Mayor Tony Davey administers the regular audit of the town's properties and he reported that not only are commercial vacancies on the decline, but also that they fall below the national average for a town of Stroud's size, standing at a mere 12.06% unoccupied. There has been significant recovery, as Davey noted: "If I were to go back six weeks, that vacancy rate was the wrong side of the national average, something like 14%."

The town may seem to be facing a retail crisis with its vacant shops, but Mr Davey begs to differ. He insists that the spate of closures is largely attributed to national chains shutting stores nationwide, such as Wilko and M&Co: "When you look at our estate, the larger quantity of vacant places that we have in the town are banks, which have deserted our towns in the same way they've deserted everybody's, and the big national retailers. It's the tombstones of the nationals."

Davey's thoughts are echoed by David, a Stroud inhabitant since 1996 who also owns a business in Georgia; he notes a significant change: "The entire focus of the town has shifted into the Five Valleys' Shopping Centre.", reports Somerset Live.

However, despite high street brands leaving, Stroud remains bustling with independent businesses.

The local community boasts an impressive variety of independents, including three unique bookstores. In addition to those, the town centre is dotted with a myriad of coffee houses and specialty gift shops.

Among them, MAMASITA stands out as a haven of Indian culture. While tucked away in a charming lane, The Yard Cafe and Kitchen presents a snug spot for locals and was thriving with customers when we dropped by.

Stroud's famous markets continue to thrive as a hotspot for both local residents and out-of-town guests. With an array of stalls luring visitors every Friday and the renowned farmers' market on Saturdays, Stroud keeps going from strength to strength.

Clare Honeyfield, who kickstarted her journey at these markets 25 years ago and is the owner of Made in Stroud, highlights their growing appeal: "The market has become something people travel all around the country and all around the world to come to."

As for high street developments, the Mayor couldn't hide his enthusiasm about Pandora setting up shop in Stroud, viewing it as an encouraging sign that retail spaces are being filled once again. A smaller pub chain has already breathed new life into half of the space previously occupied by MandCo, with plans afoot for utilising the other half.

David is delighted with Stroud's trajectory, praising its industry and diversity. He said: "All around us, there is industry- people making everything from clothing, dyes, to specialist engineering."

Indeed, he believes Stroud's story warrants closer examination: "I genuinely believe Stroud should be studied. It may have a business model that is very applicable in the 21st century and it has something to do with locating the industry by the people- don't separate it."