Clone town

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High Street, Exeter, Devon, in 2007. A 2005 survey rated Exeter as the best example of a clone town in the UK. Exeter , High Street - geograph.org.uk - 1216928.jpg
High Street, Exeter, Devon, in 2007. A 2005 survey rated Exeter as the best example of a clone town in the UK.

Clone town is a term for a town where the High Street or other major shopping areas are significantly dominated by chain stores, thus making that town indistinct from other town centres. The term was coined by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), a British think tank, in the 2004 report on "Clone Town Britain". [1]

Contents

The report further elaborates the definition as follows: 'Clone towns' occur where 'the individuality of high street shops has been replaced by a monochrome strip of global and national chains' as opposed to 'Home Town' which is a 'place that retains its character and is individually recognizable and distinct to the people who live there, as well as those who visit [2] '.

A survey conducted by the NEF in 2005 estimated that 41% of towns in the UK and 48% of London villages could be considered clone towns, with the trend rising. [3] Alternatively, clone town can also be looked upon as a stage of growth of retail market i.e. from out of town retail parks and shopping centers to so-called clone towns dominated by chains. [4]

Controversy

The NEF report argued that the spread of clone towns is highly damaging to society because of the removal of diversity: [3]

The NEF report also notes that the creation of chain stores and supermarkets has been in part a response to the consolidation of retail land ownership in the UK. Retailers are forced to consolidate to have any leverage over landlords that have already consolidated. [3]

Other commentators have raised concerns regarding the loss of "sociability" offered by traditional shopping: "the demise of the small shop would mean that people will not just be disadvantaged in their role as consumers but also as members of communities – the erosion of small shops is viewed as the erosion of the 'social glue' that binds communities together, entrenching social exclusion in the UK". [7]

Examples

The 2005 survey rated Exeter as the worst example of a clone town in the UK, with only a single independent store in the city's high street and less diversity (in terms of different categories of shop) than any other town surveyed. As of 2019, this final independent shop has closed.

Other extreme clone towns in England include Stafford, Middlesbrough, Weston-super-Mare and Winchester.

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References

  1. Molly Conisbee; Petra Kjell; Julian Oram; Jessica Bridges Palmer; Andrew Simms; John Taylor (2005-06-06). "Clone Town Britain: The loss of local identity on the nation's high streets" (PDF). new economics foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2006-07-17.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. Saini, Anshul (2009-04-11). Differences Amongst High Streets in the United Kingdom: As Perceived by the Consumers. IndraStra Papers. ISBN   979-8-6735-1307-1.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Andrew Simms; Petra Kjell; Ruth Potts (2004-08-28). "Clone Town Britain: The survey results on the bland state of the nation" (PDF). new economics foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-06-23. Retrieved 2006-07-17.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. "The experiences replacing closed High Street stores". BBC News. 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  5. "Editors Lobby Number 10 over Supermarket Censorship". The Observer. 27 March 2005.
  6. "Clone towns: British towns in danger of becoming identical and". The Independent. 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  7. Hamlett, Jane (April 2008). "Regulating UK supermarkets: an oral-history perspective". History & Policy. United Kingdom: History & Policy. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2010.