Town Centre Retail Unit Vacancy Rate in Hailsham

Latest figures show that Hailsham town centre falls well below the current regional and national averages of vacant ground floor commercial units.

During the past few years, the town centre has welcomed a range of new businesses, including those which have expanded and subsequently relocated to larger premises and retail spaces.

According to a recent vacancy rate survey conducted by Springboard, the percentage of vacant ground floor units in Hailsham currently stands at 6.7%, which compares to a current regional/South East average of 12.1% and national average of 11.8%.

Deputy Town Clerk and Business Enterprise Manager Mickey Caira said: “The percentage of vacant commercial units in Hailsham currently falls below the current regional and national averages, which is excellent news for Hailsham. Hailsham is the place to be and there has been a marked improvement in the number of empty shops in the town centre which has fallen considerably since last year.”

“While it may be tempting to shop solely online, people need to consider all of the implications for local bricks and mortar businesses,” said Mickey Caira.

“Many Hailsham residents haven’t yet incorporated buying local into their lifestyles and it’s imperative that people realise what unique benefits local products have to offer. By switching your shopping habits and supporting your local shops, you can make a big difference and really help to keep Hailsham buzzing and prevent further vacant retail units in the town.”

Cllr Nigel Coltman, Vice-Chairman of the Town Council’s Communities Committee said he is delighted to see Hailsham’s business activity strengthening and expects to see continual improvement in the future: “The Town Council and Hailsham Forward have key priorities to work with local businesses to deliver plans to help address the issue of empty shops further and work towards a 100% occupancy rate for retail and business units.”

Since the start of 2020, Hailsham has welcomed a range of new businesses, resulting in there currently being a small number of empty retail units in the town centre which compares well to current national averages.

A succession of new businesses have opened in the town despite the effects of the pandemic over the past year, which have included Hailsham Barbers, Sweet Tooth, 847847 Taxis, Sweethearts Party Boutique, Flowers By Maybugs, Hay’s Cafe, Happy Paws and Simply Weigh.

Delighted to see Hailsham’s business activity strengthening and hoping to see even more new businesses open in the future, Cllr Coltman added: “Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns had affected the local economy to a considerable degree, it’s great to see enterprising people continue to set up businesses in our town. We have an increasingly vibrant town centre – and the opening of these new businesses is a great addition!”