EMPTY shops scar Southend High Street and the surrounding area as recession-hit traders have had to admit defeat.

Closing down sales have become an all too familiar feature in the past couple of years. But the number of vacant premises – a key indicator of a town’s economic wellbeing – compares well with some other big towns in Essex.

Council bosses and retailers believe the continuing lure of the seafront has helped keep Southend’s head above water, along with the growing student presence thanks to the college and university. More than one in ten shops in Southend town centre is vacant. But Southend’s 11 per cent is much better than the 20 per cent rate in Basildon. Other parts of Essex are even worse, with Harlow having 24 per cent of its shops empty.

Town centre manager Marzia Abel said: “Southend has got a low level of empty shops, particularly in the town centre.

“If we do have an empty unit, it usually turns around pretty quickly.

“Southend has more than just shops. We also have a seafront, which other places don’t.

“We try to mix tourism with the shopping as much as we can. These regeneration projects are creating a real buzz, too.”

Ms Abel also said having a big student presence in the town was useful, particularly those from the University of Essex, who tended to be a bit older, with more spending power.

Ms Abel also said a successful town centre partnership – made up of representatives from local businesses, the council, South Essex College and the University of Essex – had helped.

Ian Robertson, Southend’s Tory councillor responsible for enterprise, tourism and regeneration, was confident the multi-million pound revamps of the town centre and seafront – the Victoria Gateway and City Beach projects – would also help to improve things.

He said: “We want to see more shops coming into the High Street.

“But the recession is all around us now. This is why we are trying to regenerate the town. I think we will get better, but slowly.”

We’re holding our own say traders

SHOPKEEPERS in Southend are staying optimistic.

Kayleigh Schleich, manager of Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shop, in the High Street, said: “I think it’s definitely improving. We opened seven months ago and already a new clothing store has opened opposite.

“There aren’t many empty shops around us and business rates aren’t a problem either.

“This time of year will always be quieter than the summer in Southend.”

Neil Raven, owner of Ravens department store, in Clifftown Road, said: “I think we are holding our own.

“It’s not easy, but we are fairly lucky with a loyal customer base.

“We just have to knuckle down and keep going.

“Something I’ve always said is key for Southend shops is the seafront.”

One in 5 shops are empty in Basildon

OUR picture shows some of Southend’s many empty shops...but down the road in Basildon things are even worse.

One in five shops in the Basildon district, including Wickford and Billericay, are empty. It has the third-highest number of empty shop units in the east of England.

Independent retailers in particular have been crippled by the recession, including one of the oldest shops in Basildon town centre – Aquatic and Pet Shop, in Southernhay.

Owner Ray Hyland, 58, who worked at the shop for 50 years, is being forced to close this month due to rents going up 20 per cent a year, from £20,000 to £25,000.

In Castle Point, traders are also feeling the pinch.

Canvey councillor Ray Howard, who is chairman of the Castle Point Regeneration Partnership, said: “We have empty shops in Canvey and Hadleigh, just like every town. I don’t think it’s as many as one in five, but it could be creeping up there.

“In Castle Point we are between two very big retail areas in Basildon and Southend, so we need to do everything we can to regenerate our towns.”

He said filling vacant shops, including several in Canvey’s Knightswick Centre, was a priority.

Meanwhile, Lakeside – often blamed for luring shoppers out of their home towns – has been ranked as the 32nd most successful shopping centre in the UK.

The thriving mall, which is 21 years old, raked in £680million last year, according to retail forecasters CACI.

Remarkably, it has a 99 per cent occupancy rate of its 259 stores. Capital Shopping Centres, which owns the centre, is working on plans to extend the shopping complex.

In Basildon, shoppers spent £340million last year according to the CACI survey, slightly more than the £320million spent by customers in Southend.

Big names in at the Victoria

THE recently-revamped Victoria shopping centre, off southend High Street, is still struggling to attract traders, but managers are optimistic.

The Echo counted 31 empty units, most of which have not been filled since the redevelopment.

A spokesman said the number of shoppers was up by five per cent in 2010 compared to the previous year.

But the centre suffered a 20 per cent slump in numbers at the end of 2010, possibly because of the ongoing Victoria Gateway roadworks.

Big names Next, Boots and shoe shop Deichmann have opened branches in the centre since the £24million investment.

A new milkshake franchise called ShakeAway is opening there tomorrow.

town centre’s vacant units

THERE are at least 14 empty shops in Southend’s main shopping area, including six in the High Street.

A further three premises are empty in the Royals shopping centre and 31 in the Victoria shopping centre.

Big names to disappear from Southend in the past few years include Virgin and Woolworths.

Next and Boots have moved from the High Street to the Victoria.

There are also a number of temporary shops in key High Street premises, such as the former Madhouse and Boots stores.

On the other hand, new shops have opened in the past two years, such as Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shop in the High Street.

The centre’s owners hope the new Tesco store planned for nearby Short Street will boost shopping numbers.