Business Leader Advocates for New Retailers in Town Centre

The incoming chair of a local business organization has stated that attracting new retailers to the town centre is essential. Steve Flory is set to succeed Terry Baxter as the chair of Ipswich Central starting next year. A recent report indicated a decrease in the number of visitors to the town centre compared to the previous year, a finding that both Mr. Flory and Ipswich Borough Council contest. The business leader expressed his aspiration for enhancements that would benefit future generations residing in Ipswich. Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk, he remarked, “It’s never going to be the same as it was in 1975 because town shopping and the whole experience has changed. But it doesn’t mean that it can’t find a new way and other places have found it, we need to do the same thing. We need some practical steps and some sensible steps to get people to want to come back into the town and things for them to come in for.” Mr. Flory, an Ipswich native and the managing director of Hudson Group, stated that his motivation for pursuing the position at Ipswich Central was to “get a bit of life and pride” revitalized within the town. He acknowledged the challenges confronting businesses and expressed his eagerness to identify strategies for their betterment. He further elaborated, “We’ve got a Premiership football team and Ed Sheeran and that’s fantastic, but we need to encourage some stores to come and the only reason you’re going to encourage stores to come is if they think they’re going to sell things. I’ve seen over the years where shops have opened and they’ve ended up clearance stores because people don’t shop in them because they don’t come to town. It’s a vicious circle and we have to break that.” He highlighted that “Thirty thousand people go to the football on Saturday afternoon,” suggesting that efforts should be made to encourage some of these individuals to remain in the town centre, perhaps for a drink or a stroll, to boost footfall.