What will happen to our city centres?.

Image Credit ©Sarah Akigbogun

Image Credit ©Sarah Akigbogun

Over last few weeks I have ventured into the centre of town on the odd occasion, just see for myself the emptiness I've read and heard about in news reports. On these trips I have found desolate streets, Christmas decorations eerily still it place in March, and unexpected void spaces.

One of those voids has been left by Topshop, which of course made headlines when it failed. However, I had not expect to find, that for example, Habitat, another iconic fixture the West End, which occupied the same spot for decades had disappeared. It leaves not just a void on its own shop floor but also in the space between it and Heals, which once buzzed with people and was itself occupied by a small retailer. "I can't believe it's gone” , remarked a shopper, as I took out my phone to take a hasty picture (note to self...always travel with the Fuji Xpro...in case of moments like this). “ It's been here since I was a child, in the 70s”, he said. Similarly I cannot remember a time what that corner was not occupied by Habit. Not far down the road one of my favourite stop offs, former Tap Coffee had disappeared entirely. I had not been prepared for that.

All three of these stores form part of my memory of London...Tap, a stop off when I visited the centre for meetings, pre-pandemic. Habitat was a fixture during my time at the AA, and I still have items, student flat throws and such like, bought there back then. And Top Shop...the source of countless party outfits...back in the day... So what will happen to these empty spots? Topshop had already caught on to the need to offer more that retail, and it would be interesting to see them given over, at least briefly to some, slightly anarchic meanwhile spaces...but let’s see.

Studio Director - Sarah Akigbogun