Retail insurance holders need to develop a relationship with their customers because of the current financial situation, an expert has claimed.
Matthew Hopkinson, business development director at the Local Data Company, stated that consumers are willing to pay more for a product if they feel its quality can be guaranteed.
And he noted that he expects the rise of the independent store to continue and retail insurance holders will have to introduce an element of uniqueness to prosper.
Mr Hopkinson added: "Landlords, tenants and local authorities have to treat a high street as if it were a shopping centre."
But the trade specialist explained that large retail insurance holders will always know how far they can push issues such as planning with the local authorities.
The British Retail Consortium recently reported that January experienced the worst sales growth for that month in 15 years - with UK sales falling 0.7 per cent from 2009 - but non-food non-store sales did increase by 14.6 per cent from last year.
