Michelle Wilkin, director of Lakeland Retreats, argues why only service can save the high street

DOOM and gloom reports of the declining high street pepper our papers at the moment.

John Lewis recently reported a 99 per cent fall in profits. That is a shocking figure, which those of us who enjoy the synonymous Christmas adverts will undoubtedly be surprised at.

John Lewis and many of the other high street big boys blame ‘the internet’ for their woes.

But is next day delivery and lower prices all shoppers and consumers look for? I think not.

The tide is turning on the high street towards a fresher range of independent shops.

For example, millennials are more likely to go to an independently run coffee shop for their barista brewed cuppa than usual coffee chains.

Why? The answer is painfully obvious but perhaps one that much of the high street has failed to pick up on.

In my opinion, service and values are the solutions to the declining high street.

When I have the option to purchase almost whatever I need within a few clicks why do I still use my local hardware shop? It’s because they give me something I can’t get online - easy to understand, friendly, personalised information, something called ‘service’.

Rather than trawl through millions of options I can go into a shop with my old lightbulb or Hoover bag (my beloved Henry still uses one) and know someone in the shop will be able to not only point me in the right direction of where to find them but will probably go and pick them up for me, bring them to the counter and ask if there’s anything else they can help with.

They’ll be able to tell me there and then if I’m getting the right screws for the job or whether a watch battery will definitely fit my child’s unfathomably complicated calculator.

As a business owner myself, I took the decision to have a shop front for my holiday cottage business, as well as the obligatory website. An unusual move in what is now a largely online industry, but I did it for old-fashioned service reasons.

We ask that guests to our owners’ cottages come to us to collect their keys. Why? Because it allows us to talk to them about their stay, tell them about hidden gems, advise them on the weather or which pubs allow dogs.

It allows us to give a service which shows them they are dealing with real people who care about them.

Ask yourself, what makes you feel good when you go into any shop? Chances are it’s a 'hello', a 'how can I help', or something unique that makes you want to go back.

It could be that they make their own donuts or have the best choice of birthday cards.

Whatever the product we return to those who make it their own. Often, it’s the additional information that the internet can’t provide - no amount of ‘you might also like’ can replace genuine help and understanding of your needs.

These differentiators are key to preventing the high street from becoming charity shop-filled ghost towns.

It’s too easy to point the finger at the internet for killing off our high streets. The truth is that it’s here to stay.

As business owners we must start thinking of different ways to encourage people back to our towns to shop in person. Parking, rates and a myriad factors from ‘on high’ are absolutely part of the solution but we must make every visit to our shops ‘an uplifting experience’ so people want to come.

It’s service that will keep the high street alive. Go the extra mile. We have to.