After being in the doldrums for half a decade, this year has seen store openings that show physical retail is alive and kicking.

After being in the doldrums for half a decade, this year has seen store openings that show physical retail is alive and kicking.

It’s December and most store openings have come to a halt, bar one or two exceptions.

In the normal run of things, this is the time of year when the focus is upon shifting stock - as much of it as possible at the best margins achievable ahead of the end December/January markdown carnage.

Yet on Thursday this week two more stores will be added to the list of those that have made a 2013 debut, proving perhaps that this year has seen a mild renaissance in terms of new stores, in high footfall locations at least.

For this reason, it’s worth having a quick look at Regent Street. J Crew and & other stories are probably the two most significant additions to the thoroughfare this year and this week Cath Kidston will open a flagship just around the corner in Piccadilly.

All three are flagships - J Crew for the simple reason that there is nothing from the US retailer on this scale anywhere else in the land, & other stories because it was a first for H&M and Cath Kidston because, well, it will be bigger and have a higher profile than other stores from the nostalgia-led homewares retailer.

Elsewhere, it’s a little over a week since Clarks unveiled its new-look store in Westfield London, intended as a pilot for a future store template, and Argos has been playing with its in-store appearance seemingly for the last six months and more.

What they all illustrate is that there appears to be room for novelty and that with sufficient marketing impetus, for which read social media impact, most can make a go of creating genuine excitement. The question is will this continue in 2014 and are we set to see the much-vaunted recovery gather pace on the high street?

On Cyber Monday, when online sales are predicted to be in excess of £300,000 per minute, it still seems probable that the answer will be yes. Retailers with terrestrial estates will need to keep doing more if they are to maintain footfall in the shops however.

This year has seen an impressive number of innovative shops arriving on the market. Online continues to evolve, so does the high street.