Shoppers feel that the appeal of UK high streets has diminished over the last five years, with more than a third admitting that they visit less than they used to.

Data compiled exclusively for Retail Week by Walnut found that most consumers believe the high street – in terms of the number of shops occupied and the variety of shops – is worse now than in 2013.

Nearly half of the 2,000 shoppers surveyed think the variety of activities available on the high street has remained about the same, but a fifth said the activity mix had worsened.

More than a third of shoppers also claim they are visiting the high street less often now than they were two years ago, with 52% frequenting it as often as before.

Only one in 10 shoppers are visiting the high street more often than two years ago.

The Walnut findings align with the latest BRC Springboard figures, which showed footfall declined 6% year on year in March. Shopper numbers slumped across all retail destinations, but most significantly on high streets – down 8.6%.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson says that a new trend of lower shopper numbers is beginning to emerge as consumers have more choice now about how, where and when to do their shopping.

With so many other options, including ecommerce, m-commerce and subscriptions, bricks-and-mortar retailers clearly need to work harder to lure shoppers to their stores.

What do shoppers want?

Two-thirds of shoppers – 63% – say they would like more free parking in shopping destinations. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 77% of these are aged over 55.

While 64% want to see more independent shops on the high street, only 8% are interested in there being more gyms.

Clearly, there’s a need for partners, including local councils, landlords and community groups, to do more to remove pain points, such as expensive car parking, that are deterring people from visiting.

And, as such a significant number of respondents expressed a desire for more independent shops, landlords could benefit from supporting and incentivising smaller businesses to occupy vacant units.

Retail veteran Bill Grimsey, who launched a review of the high street in 2013, plans to revisit the project following the recent slew of store closures, administrations and CVAs.

The revised edition – An Alternative Future for the High Street – due to be published in July, will examine the current state of high streets and town centres and shed light on the impact of technological advances and Brexit.

“It is time to get this subject back on everyone’s agenda,” Grimsey said. “Otherwise we will continue to sleepwalk into the remainder of the 21st century, leaving a legacy of ill-thought-out town centres and high streets to the next generation.”

A finding of his first review was the need for greater digital connectedness, including technology in stores and free local Wi-Fi.