[quote name='bass5' post='783577' date='Mar 23 2010, 03:41 PM']London is a very expensive place to live, shop and even pay for a bus fare, but that's because our stores are afflicted by [b][color="#FF0000"]a very high cost for the rent for their premises[/color][/b], licenses etc, all these overheads are items which an internet outlet is not subject to. Hence internet killed the shop star![/quote]
this to me, seems to be the problem that is overlooked. The internet is blamed but the high rents are accepted? Why aren't the landlords who charge these high rents blamed for creating/maintaining a situation where the businesses that pay them can't afford to be competitive?
The subtext of every argument that we should buy from stores that can't compete with internet prices, is that we should line the pockets of greedy landlords.
In Camden there are campaigns against the chains moving in and undercutting the independent businesses who can't afford to compete because of the high rents. No-one seems to be campaigning against the high rents.