What makes an empty high street unit easier to let
The high street has had a difficult few years, and landlords with empty retail units know it better than anyone. But the case for physical retail hasn't gone away. It has changed.
Shoppers who visit a store today are looking for something they can't get from a screen at home: advice, service, something to see or try, a reason to come back. The retailers doing well on the high street are the ones building their stores around that experience.
For landlords, that points to a simple question. What makes a unit the easy choice for a retailer who wants to deliver it?
"Retailers taking space now want to trade from the day they get the keys and give customers a reason to walk in," says founder and director Jamie Mableson. "The units that let quickest are the ones that make both of those easy."
Location still leads
Location remains the first thing any retailer looks at. A unit on a busy street with real passing footfall is already a long way towards a letting. The rest is about removing the reasons a good prospect might hesitate.
Room to shape the space
Experience-led retail often means reworking a layout: creating zones, adding space for demonstrations or events, or opening up the floor. Landlords who give tenants flexibility to shape the space around their customers make the unit more attractive, and a tenant who can trade well is a tenant who stays.
Connectivity from day one
Every modern store runs on connectivity, from card payments and stock systems to in-store displays and guest Wi-Fi. Yet a new permanent line can take up to 20 weeks to install, which can leave a new tenant unable to trade properly while they wait.
Fuse removes that wait with immediate 5G connectivity, so a tenant can open from day one, with a permanent connection arranged in parallel.
"Connectivity used to be something a tenant sorted out after moving in," says Jamie. "Now it's one of the first questions they ask. If the answer is 'you'll be online the day you open', that's one less reason to look elsewhere."
Landlords and agents can check how connectivity-ready any UK commercial address is, free, using the Fuse Connectivity Checker at connect.fusecore.co.uk.
Guest Wi-Fi that works for the business
Customers now expect to get online when they walk into a store. For the retailer, guest Wi-Fi is also a direct line to people who have already shown interest by coming through the door, whether that means sharing an offer or understanding when the store is busiest.
Making the void period work harder
While a unit is empty, it doesn't have to sit dark. Fuse digital screens can turn a vacant shop window into a moving advert for the unit itself, alongside paid local and national campaigns.
"An empty unit is a cost until it's let, but it doesn't have to be a dead one," adds Jamie. "Keep the frontage working, and make sure the next tenant can open the moment they sign. That's how you shorten the gap between one lease and the next."
Have an empty retail unit you want to let faster? Talk to Fuse on 0330 333 1166 or at enquiries@fusecorp.co.uk.