Portas kicks off high street review in Rugby
'Queen of shops' Mary Portas has visited Rugby as part of her government-commissioned independent review into the High Street.
Adviser Portas spoke to businesses, local authorities and shoppers as part of the review into how high streets across Britain can prosper in the future.
Business minister Edward Davey said: "The high street should be at the heart of every community, bringing people together, providing essential services and creating jobs and investment.
"So I am delighted that Mary Portas has made her first town centre visits to Rugby and Sparkbrook which are regarded by the Association of Town Centre Managers as exemplars of best practice."
Portas said she planned to visit high streets across the UK "to find solutions for the problems that are blighting our high streets".
She said: "I hope to draw on the creativity of everyone involved in high streets whether they are independent shop owners, chain store managers, bookmakers, librarians or town centre managers.
"With town centre vacancy rates doubling over the last two years, the need to take action to save our high streets has never been starker."
Portas' review will form part of the government’s Growth Review which is examining how it can remove the barriers to achieve a development strategy which is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.
