What could this mean for Chester?

Chester will utilise its unparalleled cultural and heritage offer to create a truly bespoke, but comprehensive user experience. One that reappropriates the City’s heritage to create an offer within which retail and leisure are seamlessly integrated.

Across Chester City Centre, the lines between retail and leisure will blur. Traditional stores will become less prevalent and in their place will be experiential facilities hosting a series of tailored and highly bespoke retail and leisure opportunities.

Chester will cater to a younger and more diverse residential population. A population that moves towards a more sophisticated sharing economy which will extend beyond transport, accommodation and workplace.

The City Centre will transition to be car-free with peripheral car parks being used as satellite locations for private vehicle parking. Innovative pay-as-you-go ridesharing options will be used for transport within and around the City Centre utilising e-scooters, bikes, e-bikes and public transport. This will be bolstered through Chester’s existing suitability for a 15-minute City model with home, work and leisure conveniently located within walking distance.

The City will host a thriving University, which will further boost the residential population as well as driving the local economy forward both in terms of workers and spenders.

The art of creation will be embedded in the retail experience (from F&B to convenience and comparison retailing) meaning that customers within Chester will be able to experience the creation of goods and products both directly and through the use of technology.

Retail stores will be augmented through open air “pop-up” retail and F&B opportunities, with public spaces more freely being given over to such uses.

Independent stores and F&B offers will be commonplace, specialising in more sustainable, low carbon and local products.

Health, wellbeing, beauty and personal enhancement services will become commonplace within the City Centre. A focus upon healthy lifestyle choices will encourage residents and visitors to use the City Centre as a playground for exercise and healthy living. Resources such as Grosvenor Park, Chester Meadows, the Racecourse and River will be instrumental in providing space for healthier and life-style conscious community.

Technology will be fully embedded and completely integrated into our everyday lives. VR, augmented reality, hologram and haptic technology will become an integral part of the retail, cultural and visitor experience within Chester allowing shoppers to create their own highly personalised service and visitors to fully appreciate the history of Chester.

Virtual storefronts within Chester provide click and collect opportunities for certain shopper requirements. Automated product picking services will remove the need for traditional shop floorspace and will “free up” space for other uses.

Improvements in technology will lead to opportunities for visual and creative arts to be completely interactive. Music, film, entertainment and gaming industries will be completely immersive and will require additional space beyond Storyhouse and Northgate.

Building on the Council’s use of flexible rent models, accommodation will become more flexible and the impacts of the sharing economy will lead to landlords welcoming emerging brands that are linked to the local community. As a result, lease contracts will become shorter and more flexible within Chester, whilst demand for local concepts will encourage changes to credit risk models and investment models for both the public and private sector.