Romsey Town Centre Study

Neil Wrigley, Jen Li, Katherine Cudworth, Dionysia Lambiri & Michelle Lowe

Romsey Town Centre Study September 2011

Presentation outline 1. University of Southampton research team 2. Project background and methodology 3. Key Findings 4. Food shopping in Romsey 5. Non-food shopping in Romsey 6. Linked trips 7. Perceptions of Romsey 8. Future enhancements 9. Take home messages 2

University of Southampton research team

•

Study undertaken by retail research team at the University of Southampton led by Professor Neil Wrigley

•

Involves members of the Schools of Geography and Management, together with the GeoData Institute.

•

The Southampton research team recently published the findings of a major ‘before/after’ study of the impacts of foodstore development on UK market towns and district centres

•

Published 2009 & 2010 Town & Country Planning papers on linked trips within the market town cluster Town & country planning paper, October 2009

3

Market towns and district centres study, 2010 (MTDC) •

Study involved the investigation of four market towns in South West England of not dissimilar size and characteristics to Romsey

•

Most comparable case is Crewkerne, south Somerset

•

In-centre Waitrose and Co-op supermarket in addition to a range of independent convenience businesses

•

Similar representation of independent and multi-national non-food retailers and services

4

Project background and methodology In-depth study of the town centre of Romsey, Hampshire designed and executed by the research team at University of Southampton conducted during March and April 2011 in Romsey town centre with the aim to investigate how its facilities and services are used and how the centre functions, in particular:  Romsey’s role as a main and secondary food shopping destination  Romsey’s role as a non-food shopping destination

 Exploring shopping patterns (food and non-food) of town centre users in terms of linked trips  Strengths and weaknesses of the town centre in meeting customer requirements  Identifying retail/facilities improvements which could potentially encourage clawback of catchment expenditure

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Methodology Designed and executed by research team the University of Southampton, conducted in Romsey town centre during March and April 2011 Over 400 face-to-face consumer questionnaires and 100 trader questionnaires collected: Consumer questionnaires: Captured the demographic information, town centre shopping habits and perceptions of Romsey of ‘main catchment’ respondents (respondents residing within 0-15 minute drive time of Romsey) & ‘visitors’ (respondents residing outside 0-15 drive time)

Yellow zone = 10-15 minute drive time

Red zone = 0-5 minute drive time

Blue zone = 5-10 minute drive time

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Methodology Stratified quota sample design was adopted, with the sample being segmented across age groups and by location within the catchment area. Specific targets were set for each age segment and home location to ensure a balanced response rate.

Segmentation results of main catchment consumer surveys Age segment of respondent Catchment zone

below 34

34 to 59

60 and over

Achieved Total

Total Target

Achieved % of Total Target

Achieved

Target

Achieved

Target

Achieved

Target

0-5 mins drive time

75

70

77

70

79

70

231

210

110.0%

5-10 mins drive time

18

50

51

50

41

50

110

150

73.3%

10-15 mins drive time

25

30

35

30

22

30

82

90

91.1%

Total

118

150

163

150

142

150

423

450

Achieved % of Total Target

79%

109%

95%

94%

Total main catchment surveys: 423 Visitor total: 84 Overall total: 507

Key Findings • Romsey has a reasonably high retention rate for food shopping • It suffers from a higher level of non-food shopping leakage, consumers felt that products were not available in Romsey or were too expensive • Romsey supermarkets are well integrated into the town centre reflected in the a high level of consumer trip linkage behaviour, which is comparable to the other market towns in the 2010 MTDC study • Consumer perceptions of the town centre are generally very positive, with 77.6% of respondents agreeing/strongly agreeing that Romsey is an attractive town centre • Traders in Romsey are generally optimistic about the future. The majority of traders reported that sales at the time of survey were either up or remained the same compared to twelve months previously • Consumer suggestions for town centre enhancements included improving pavements, more clothes shops and more available, cheaper parking •Overall, the University of Southampton finds that Romsey is a well-used and well-functioning centre 8

Shopping & travel behaviour on the day of the survey Main catchment respondents’ primary reasons for visiting Romsey

• •

Most common food shopping location given for visiting Romsey is Waitrose Most common non-food shopping location given for visiting Romsey is Boots

• •

57% of main catchment respondents drove to Romsey, 34% walked and 2% cycled 40% of main catchment respondents will stay in Romsey for 30 minutes to 1 hour

Use of Parking facilities in Romsey town centre Map of main catchment respondents use of Romsey car parks

1%

53%

9%

Abbey

Waitrose own

6%

2% 1%

9%

8%

Aldi own

3%

8%

Private Rd

% based on respondents use of car parks on day of survey

7.2% of people had problems with parking on the day of survey

University of Southampton Romsey Study Food shopping

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Corporate food stores in Romsey

For both main and first named secondary shopping trips...

Waitrose is used by 58.6% of respondents Co-op is used by 18.2% of respondents Aldi is used by

16.1% of respondents 12

Romsey has a food shopping retention rate of 63.2% (63.2% of 0-5 minute drive time (red zone) respondents stay in Romsey for their main food shop)

A comparison: Southampton Univ. Market Towns & District Centres study (2010)

ROMSEY CREWKERNE

63.2%

71.4%

WARMINSTER

84.6% 0%

100%

2010 MARKET SHEPTON TOWN AVERAGE MALLET ILMINSTER 73.1% 89.7%

84.6%

Food shopping leakage •Majority of food shopping leakage is to Chandler’s Ford •Respondents cite ‘large product range’ and ‘good value for money’ as the reason shopping elsewhere •Those aged below 34 are most likely to conduct their food shopping elsewhere •Only 47.9% of respondents aged below 34 use the town for main food shopping compared to 76.7% of those aged over 60 14

Use of local independent foodstores (Long’s, Peppercorns, B. Drummond & W. Stares) - 13% use town centre shops for first named secondary food shopping - Around 10% of respondents link their main or secondary shopping at the corporate food stores with local independent foodstores -The majority of users of local independent shops are in the age group category of 60 and over Aged over 60 (62.5%)

Aged between 35 and 59 (37.5%)

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Linked trip propensity of main catchment respondents How often do respondents combine Romsey's 3 supermarkets with other shops/services in the town centre?

Main food shop Always/frequently Occasionally Never TOTAL

151 53 17 221

68.3% 24.0% 7.7% 100.0%

First named secondary shop 115 32 18 165

69.7% 19.4% 10.9% 100%

Southampton Univ. 2010 study, market town cluster ‘always/frequently’ linked trip average: 53.6%

• Waitrose generates the highest linked trip levels – 69% of main/first named secondary users ‘always/frequently combine the store with the town centre • Aldi generates the lowest level of linked trips – 59.4% of main/first named secondary users always/frequently combine the store with the town centre 16

Linked trip propensity of main catchment respondents • Older respondents are more likely to link their shopping trip • 81.3% of the ‘over 60’s’ always/frequently combine their food shopping with the town centre

• Only 50% of the respondents aged below 34 always/frequently link their food shopping trips The most common linked trip destinations for main and first named secondary users of Romsey supermarkets (Waitrose, Co-op and Aldi) that link their shopping trip are: Boots/other centre chemists – 37.8% Bradbeers – 27.6% Bank and financial services – 15.2% Other Romsey supermarket(s) - 12.9% Romsey independent convenience shops – 10.6%

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University of Southampton Romsey study Non-food shopping in Romsey

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Frequency of non-food shopping in Romsey by main catchment respondents

Daily Every few days Weekly Fortnightly Monthly Every few months Never TOTAL

Non-food shopping 38 9.3% 127 31.1% 115 28.2% 60 14.7% 36 8.9% 12 2.9% 20 4.9% 408 100%

• 31.1% of main catchment respondents do non-food shopping in Romsey ‘every few days’

• The MTDC 2010 study found that only 18.1% of respondents would use the town centre for non-food purchases at a similar frequency in the market town cluster •There is a low proportion of respondents who never do their non-food shopping in Romsey 19

Non-food anchor stores - Based on linked trip data, the two main non-food anchor stores in Romsey are identified as

and 37.8% of linked trips are to Boots or other town centre chemists On the day of the survey, 4.6% of main catchment respondents said their main reason for visiting Romsey was Boots 27.6% of linked trips are to Bradbeers On the day of the survey, 1.2% of main catchment respondents and 4.9% of visitors said their main reason for visiting Romsey was to go to Bradbeers 20

Do main catchment respondents buy non-food items in Romsey?

Chemist and pharmaceutical Books and DVDs Clothes and shoes Small electrical items Large electrical items Household furnishings Leisure services

Yes 87.3%

No 12.8%

19.9%

80.2%

29.3%

70.3%

18.9%

81.1%

3.4%

96.6%

11.8%

88.2%

44.7%

55.3%

- Most common non-food items bought in Romsey are chemist and pharmaceutical items - 44.7% of respondents use Romsey’s leisure services. Respondents often use restaurants and pubs in Romsey, but go elsewhere for cinema and theatre.

- Bulky items such as electricals and furnishings are purchased outside of Romsey

(Base: Variable)

Respondents aged below 34 are more likely to shop elsewhere for non-food products, especially clothing and footwear 21

Locations of main catchment non-food shopping choices Winchester

Salisbury 60

60

40 30 20

5.6

6.5

5.5

50 40 30

9.2

20

10

10

0

0

Percentages

Percentages

Percentages

50

9.8 5.1

Retail categories

Retail categories

Romsey Southampton City Centre

Online 60

Percentages

50 40

28.1

30 20

9.1

14.1

10

Percentages

60

50

41.9 45.1

50.6

40

Books/DVDs Clothes & Shoes

30

Small electricals 20 10

0

0

Retail categories

Retail categories

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Non-food shopping: reasons for leaving Romsey Books, CDs and DVDs

Clothing and footwear

Small electrical items

Leisure services

Poor range

147

43.4%

146

48.5%

161

45.9%

80

40.4%

Too expensive

37

10.9%

36

11.0%

57

16.2%

18

9.1%

Not available

103

30.4%

82

27.2%

92

26.2%

39

19.7%

Most common reasons given for going elsewhere for non-food shopping: 1. Poor range of shops selling these products 2. Specific items desired by respondents perceived to be not available (e.g. clothing and footwear tends to be aimed at older market) 3. Shops in Romsey are perceived to be more expensive than in other centres or online

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Non food shopping in Romsey: A comparison with Crewkerne (MTDC 2010)

Chemist and pharmaceutical Books and DVDs Clothes and shoes Small electrical items Large electrical items Household furnishings Leisure services

Purchased in Romsey 87.3%

Purchased in Crewkerne 77.8%

19.9%

14.3%

29.3%

13.0%

18.9%

13.0%

3.4%

N/A

11.8%

9.8%

44.7%

N/A

• In terms of size and retail composition Crewkerne is the most comparable market town from the 2010 MTDC study • In all applicable categories Romsey has a higher rate of non food shopping purchases • Clothes purchases in Romsey are particularly high in comparison to Crewkerne

University of Southampton Romsey study Romsey town centre traders

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Sales and business performance Current & expected sales: A comparison with the MTDC market town cluster Sales compared to 1 year previous

Expected sales 1 year ahead

2011 Romsey study

08/09 Market town cluster

2011 Romsey study

08/09 Market town cluster

22.0

25.8

46.2

42.0

44.0

26.8

38.5

33.0

34.0

47.4

15.4

25.0

•

Romsey traders report a more stable picture of previous sales compared to the 2010 MTDC market town cluster

•

Romsey traders are less pessimistic about future sales with only 15.4% anticipating a decrease

•

40% of Romsey traders blame the general economic climate for a fall in sales

Sales and business performance: Barriers to growth National barriers to growth N

%

Reduced consumer spending

77

65.3

High VAT

41

34.7

High fuel costs

40

33.9

High cost of suppliers/goods

36

30.5

High Utility costs

36

30.5

Limited financial lending

24

20.3

Local barriers to growth Low footfall Expensive parking High business rates Competition from larger centres High rents Poor parking facilities Lack of investment from council Unattractive centre

N 42 41 38 38 29 28 14 5

% 35.6 34.7 32.2 32.2 24.6 23.7 11.9 4.2

Perceived competition Romsey's competing centres as perceived by town centre traders 50

50 45

42.1

39.2

40

33.3

35

Southampton city centre

Percentage

30

Winchester city centre

25.3

Salisbury

25 20

Eastleigh

18.6

Hedge End retail park

15.2 15 10

12.7

11.8

11.4 8.9

8.8

8.8 7

6.9

5 0 1st biggest competitor

2nd biggest competitor

3rd biggest competitor

28

University of Southampton Romsey Study Perceptions of Romsey

29

Strengths of Romsey

• 77.6% of main catchment respondents agreed that the town centre is attractive

• 65% of main catchment respondents agreed that the town covers most of their ‘everyday shopping needs’ •72.4% of main catchment respondents agreed that the town has a ‘good range of convenience stores’ •58.7% of main catchment respondents agreed that the town has a ‘good range of local independent shops’ 30

Weaknesses of Romsey

When asked what they dislike about Romsey 14.7% of main catchment respondents and 38.7% of visitors said they did not dislike anything • 46.4% of main catchment respondents disagreed that the town centre has a good

range of non-food shops

• 53.5% of main catchment respondents disagreed that the town centre has a good range of national chains • 27.6% of main catchment respondents disagreed that it is easy to park in Romsey and 56.4% agreed that it was easy.

However…..within the market town cluster of the 2010 Study 74.9% agreed it was easy to park in their town centre 31

Strengths and weakness of Romsey from a traders point of view

Strengths •61% of traders believe that they have a loyal customer base •46.6% of traders believe that the town centre is attractive •72.4% of traders believe that the town has a good range of independent shops Weaknesses •50% of traders believe that is it expensive to run a business in Romsey •44.9% of traders believe that it is expensive to park in the town centre •31.4% of traders believe that the town has a poor range of national chains

Perceptions of vitality and viability of Romsey town centre Opinion is split on whether Romsey is in decline 40.9% of main catchment consumers and 48% of traders agree it is 44.9% of main catchment consumers and 43% of traders believe it is not in decline

Traders perceived reasons for town centre decline % The range of shops has declined

40.0

The number of vacant units has increased Recession/economic climate

32.7

Falling visitor numbers

10.9

The town centre is unkempt

5.5

Online shopping

3.9

18.2

• 46% of traders believe that footfall in Romsey town centre has fallen over the period March 2010 – March 2011 • However pedestrian counts by Test Valley Borough Council on the Hundred reveal that footfall actually increased during this period

Suggested improvements to Romsey town centre Many main catchment respondents said that Romsey does not need improvements (10.3%). Visitors were even more positive (27.9%).

Desired improvements to Romsey

Main catchment respondents

Visitors

Traders

More parking

5.1%

9.1%

29.7%

Cheaper parking

4.5%

2.3%

49.2%

Improved pavements

9.5%

6.8%

38.1%

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Desired retail improvements in Romsey • From the consumers’ perspective

• From the traders’ perspective

Retail categories desired the most:

Retail categories desired the most:

Children’s clothes and toys

65

29.8%

Music/media

40

21.3%

Music/media

61

28.0%

Children’s clothes and toys

36

19.1%

Clothes general

48

22.0%

Men’s clothes

23

12.2%

Men’s clothes

35

16.1%

Clothes general

15

8.0%

Electrical goods

33

15.1%

Electrical goods

13

7.0%

Bookshops

33

15.1%

Sports shop

9

4.8%

(Specific shops mentioned include: Poundland, M&S, ASDA, Woolworths)

(Specific shops mentioned include: Next, M&S, Greggs, M&S Food, River Island, Primark, Topshop, Peacocks, Store 21)

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Romsey’s role as a tourist destination and Romsey’s farmers market Visitors to Romsey - Main reason visitors come into Romsey is for town centre services (17.9%) and to walk/browse and see the town centre attractions (17.9%) - What respondents believed would attract more visitors to the town: greater advertising and promotion of the town, more events, more attractions, and cheaper/free parking

Farmers’ Market - 19.5% of respondents on market day were visitors - Most are female aged between 35 and 59 - Most go to the market monthly - 44.2% of respondents use other farmers’ markets in Hampshire, the most common being in Winchester

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Main take home messages • The University of Southampton Romsey study supports the previous studies findings that Romsey is a healthy and vibrant town centre •In terms of convenience spend, Romsey retains 63.2% of its primary catchment expenditure with the majority of respondents using the Waitrose store •The majority of respondents use Romsey for chemist products. However, a large proportion of non-food shopping overall, is done outside of Romsey, with Southampton being the main competing centre • Linked trips from all three corporate retailers and the town centre are comparable to the 2010 University of Southampton Market Towns & District Centres results. Of the three Romsey Supermarkets Waitrose generates the highest level of linked trips •The most important non-food anchor store in the town is Boots which receives the highest level of linked trips and is cited as the most common reason for non food visits to the town

• Consumer perceptions of the town centre are generally very positive. Romsey’s key perceived strengths are its, attractiveness, and range of convenience stores 37

Main take home messages • In terms of weaknesses, many consumers perceive it to have a poor range of non-food shops and a limited choice of national chains • Opinion on the whether Romsey town centre is in decline amongst main catchment respondents and trades is split. Traders perceived reasons for decline include decreased range of shops and increased number of vacant units

•Whilst 10.3% of main catchment respondents are satisfied with the town and believe Romsey does not need improving others suggested enhancement to the pavements, more independent shops, and more clothes shops.

•56.4% of main catchment respondents agreed that it is easy to park in the town centre, however the 2010 MTDC study found that 74.9% of consumers from the market town cluster agreed that parking was easy in their centre • Both consumers and traders suggested improvements could be made to the availability of parking and the price.

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Overall, the results of the 2011 University of Southampton study seem to confirm that Romsey town centre is a wellused and well-functioning centre with a high retention rate for food shopping and levels of linked trips comparable with other market towns in the U.K. Despite some concerns from traders, the vacancy rate of 7.1% (May 2011) is lower than the national average. The town offers a range of foodstores and non-food shops for residents and visitors and fulfils its role as a convenience shopping destination well.

39

40

Previous studies’ key findings Romsey is a healthy and vital centre.

Shops are performing well. Vacancy rates are well below national average (6.3% in 1998, less than 2% in 2007).

Shoppers and retailers are generally happy with existing retail mix.

They consider parking (availability and price) and traffic as the main weakness of the town.

Comparison retail in Romsey Convenience retail in Romsey Level of expenditure retention in primary catchment area (1998 study): 56% Waitrose is the most frequently used store.

Linked trips propensity between Waitrose and other town centre shops (1998 study): 65% 2007, 2008 studies: identified potential need for some additional convenience retail floorspace to clawback expenditure

Romsey attracts 9% of expenditure in its wider catchment area (1998 study) - mainly losing out to Southampton and Salisbury

1998 study: main reason for expenditure leakage: lack of choice and price

All three studies identified limited range in the bulky goods category. 2007, 2008 studies suggested moderate increase in comparison retail floorspace 41