Department stories: How communities are reimagining a national institution
Department stories: How communities are reimagining a national institution
December 11 @ 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Communities across the country are developing their own solutions to the decline of department stores, tackling both high street vacancy and the loss of these important social spaces. They are part of a wider movement of communities taking back their high streets, bringing new life to old buildings to strengthen their communities and keep money circulating in their local economies.
Join Power to Change as we launch our newest report, ‘Department stories: How communities are reimagining a national institution’. This online discussion will showcase the communities across the country repurposing empty department stores and other historic high streets assets to create vibrant and needed spaces in their community. We will also discuss how community business, government at all levels, and key stakeholders can help communities create the high streets of tomorrow.
Speakers
Jonn Elledge (Chair)
Journalist
Jonn Elledge is a freelance journalist and broadcaster, writing for titles including the Guardian, i Paper and CapX and contributing a weekly column to the New Statesman. He was previously an assistant editor at the NS, where he was responsible for launching and editing the urbanism site CityMetric, hosting the Skylines podcast and writing a lot of angry columns about transport, housing policy and Brexit. His books include A History of the World in 47 Borders: The Stories Behind the Lines On Our Maps (2024); while his weekly Newsletter of (Not Quite) Everything Substack, a baffling digest of politics, history, geography and nerdery.
Jess Craig
Policy Manager, Power to Change
Jess works with colleagues and external partners to deliver policy-relevant research and develop well-informed policy ideas that support community businesses to thrive. She helps to build strong relationships with central and local government to put community business on the policy agenda.
Graham Soult
Retail Consultant, Canny Insights
Graham Soult is a high-street champion who founded the retail consultancy business CannyInsights.com in 2010. A passionate advocate for building strong networks and partnerships, Graham is the chairman of networking organisation Durham Business Group. He’s been a Fellow of the Institute of Place Management (IPM) since 2018. He also served as an Expert within the High Streets Task Force, a government initiative, which ran from 2019 to 2024 and was managed by IPM, to support communities and local authorities in England in transforming their high streets and strengthening local place leadership.
Kathryn Chiswell Jones
CEO, Artspace UK
Kathryn Chiswell Jones has headed up Artspace Lifespace since 2017 and co-founded Sparks Bristol with Jenny Foster of Global Goals Centre in 2023. Artspace Lifespace is an arts charity managing unique venues to provide affordable spaces for artists to make, develop and showcase their work. We offer a mix of artists’ studios and space for exhibitions, filming, events, rehearsal and independent retail across our Bristol venues The Island, The Vestibules, Broadmead XP (The Galleries), Sparks Bristol and the Arts Mansion in North Somerset.