Retail trade events, Spring & Autumn Fair, have launched a new national campaign calling for a minimum of 90 minutes’ free parking in town and city centres across England. The campaign follows new research revealing retailers and consumers have independently identified the same practical measure to help encourage more visits to Britain’s high streets.

Launching under the message ‘Support Free Parking. Back Local Businesses. Bring People Back,’ the campaign centres around a parliamentary petition urging local authorities to view parking as part of a wider strategy to increase footfall, support independent businesses and strengthen local economies.

The campaign follows Voices of Retail, Spring & Autumn Fair’s annual research programme produced in partnership with Faire.

Drawing on the views of retailers and consumers across the UK, the latest findings show 38% of independent retailers believe free parking would have the greatest positive impact on their business. Meanwhile, 63% of consumers say it would encourage them to visit town and city centres more often.

The research also highlights the opportunity facing Britain’s high streets. Almost all consumers (95%) say they would spend more if their local high street offered a better mix of shops, while 96% want to see more independent retailers alongside cafés, bakeries and other experiences that encourage them to spend longer in town centres. The findings suggest people want to support local businesses when high streets are easy to access, enjoyable to visit and offer compelling reasons to stay.

Commenting is Jackson Szabo, Portfolio Director at Spring & Autumn Fair.

“Retailers aren’t asking for special treatment. They’re asking us to remove one of the practical barriers that both businesses and shoppers believe is discouraging visits to our town centres. When retailers and consumers independently arrive at the same conclusion, I don’t think we should ignore it, we should act.

“The best high streets are places where people don’t just buy one thing and leave. They browse independent shops, stop for lunch, meet friends for coffee and discover businesses they hadn’t planned to visit. That’s exactly the kind of local economy retailers tell us they want to build, and making town centres easier to access is one practical way of encouraging that behaviour.”

Alongside the petition, retailers across the country can join the campaign through a dedicated Retailer Toolkit.

The toolkit including window posters, QR-code till stickers, social media graphics and digital assets, enabling businesses to encourage customers to sign and share the petition. Trade associations, suppliers, local business groups and industry organisations are also being encouraged to support the campaign and help build momentum.

“For years we’ve talked about saving the high street,” concludes Jackson. “Perhaps it’s time we started talking more about making it easier for people to use it. If retailers, shoppers, local authorities and industry partners all get behind practical changes like this, together we can help create town centres that people choose to visit again and again.”

The parliamentary petition is now live, with retailers, consumers, suppliers, trade bodies, local authorities and communities encouraged to sign, share and help demonstrate the strength of support for practical action to help Britain’s high streets thrive. To sign the petition, please click here. To download the retailer campaign pack, email visitor@autumnfair.com, and to download the findings of the full Voices Of Retail Report, please click here.