Is the eBay and Argos tie-up a lifeline for the high street?

On the face of it, this deal, which will enable eBay customers to pick up select orders from Argos stores, is good news for the high street. It could increase footfall, as people collecting purchases may visit other shops in addition to Argos.

But it may not work out that way. Felix Hall, managing director of marketing agency 23red, says: “There are 20 Amazon collection points near me, but that just increases the convenience of online shopping rather than encouraging me to browse our local high street.”

Statistics support this view. A recent study of 500 town centres by PwC and the Local Data Company showed that town centre shops ceased trading at the rate of 18 per day during in the first half of this year. Video, photography, and women’s fashion retailers suffered worst.

It’s interesting that eBay - a brand that has been part of the etail landscape for so long - is now moving into the physical space. The gap between the physical and online worlds is becoming smaller, making socially or digitally driven brands more tangible. Retail is likely to include a growing number of similar strategic partnerships as time goes by.

Hall says: “This doesn’t represent a lifeline for the high street, rather it reinforces change. And we need to embrace that change and free our high streets up, whether in terms of planning, rates or parking, so they can evolve rather than die.”