The Echo spoke to business owners in Boscombe, who spoke of the difficulties they face running independent traders.
In light of the challenges faced in Boscombe, a £4.1 million Better Boscombe project is currently underway, aiming to better the high street.
Plans include the construction of an “exciting” new community facility that it says will bring “lasting benefit” to residents and turn Boscombe High Street into a “vibrant, quirky and safe” area with a range of shops, services, leisure and job opportunities for the local community.
The former WHSmith building has started to be demolished, in the latest of the works to be carried out.
For shop owners, the investment is welcomed, but times are hard for those running small businesses on the high street.
Javis Uwaifo runs an antique shop at number 3 in the Royal Arcade.
He has moved to various locations to find the right area, but says summer is a difficult time on Dorset high streets as tourists tend to flock to the beach.
He said: “It’s not good. In comparison to before lockdown, when a lot of people were around, and they ran the market on Thursday and Saturday on the High Street, there was a whole vicinity of people coming in.
‘Now you don’t see anybody on the high street’ (Image: Newsquest) “[Now] You don’t see anybody on the high street”.
He said there are “too many offices” and he has “not seen any improvement to attract tourists into the high street”.
Down the road, Robert Mazerski runs Supermarket Romania, which has been running on Christchurch Road for nine years. He says trade has not been the same since lockdown.
He said: “People don’t have the money to spend.
“I see people have to eat, so they’re going to buy some food, but it’s not like before. Before, they just ‘put it in the basket’ without watching.”
‘It’s not like before’ (Image: Newsquest)
He also blames Brexit for a loss in trade. His shop sells Romanian goods, which appeal mostly to Eastern Europeans in the area, but the added restrictions on living and working in the UK for people in the EU have led to a noticeable decline in trade.
Frank Coelho runs IT Drone and Software Services in the Sovereign Shopping Centre. His business has been running for around 10 years but he opened a small shop in the mall just a few weeks ago in a bid to continue his successes despite the difficulties facing business owners.
‘We have to believe we will be successful’ (Image: Newsquest)
He said: “It is a difficult time.
“We have to believe we will be successful.
“I think Boscombe needs more investment to make everything easier for new businesses, for people. However much investment Boscombe gets, it’s good for businesses and for people.”
Mary volunteers at the charity shop My Little Teddy. The charity offers support to homeless mothers and their children, offering temporary accommodations and helping with transportation.
The shop is located opposite McDonald’s, and Mary says that a bench located nearby seems to be the scene of trouble.
She said: “Where I am here, I love it because people coming in, they see me first, then you’ve McDonald’s and you’ve got Subway, so there’s like a hangout area.
“What’s spoiling it is certain things happening.”
‘What’s spoiling it is certain things happening’ (Image: Newsquest)
By that, she means issues with anti social behaviour and substance abuse.
“It doesn’t scare me at all, but it’s just for shoppers, seeing that is just upsetting”, she said.
“We get a lot of vulnerable people coming in, handicapped and elderly ladies coming in and seeing that, it puts them off coming down to this end.”
Mary said that it would be helpful to have police patrolling more regularly, as she only sees them when an incident has already occurred. The police station, located just a few minutes’ walk away, reopened in October 2023.
Lorna Sayer, manager at The Reptilarium, said trade in Boscombe goes “up and down”, and the lack of parking reduces footfall on that side of town.
“The parking situation, especially for our shop, they’ve just got rid of parking out the front of our shop which doesn’t really help with customers for us, especially when we need to help them get stuff to their car and things like that”.
Plans as part of the Better Boscombe project are anticipated to be completed by Spring 2026.