IN-PERSON Manchester Livable Cities

Abstract

Retail Times reports that over 10,000 UK high street stores closed in 2023, reflecting a significant contraction in traditional bricks and mortar retail. This aligns with broader national trends of declining occupancy and shifting consumer behaviour with Nottingham alone reporting approximately 90 vacant units in 2024. This decline presents an urgent need for new approaches to retail-led regeneration. The ‘Reimagining Nottingham’ project, delivered within the BA (Hons) Fashion Management programme at Nottingham Trent University, demonstrates how higher education can play a strategic role in shaping future high street development through authentic, industry embedded learning. Developed in collaboration with Nottingham City Council, Nottingham BID, Leonard Design, Box Property, Universal Works, Lush and COTY, the project tasked final-year students with designing commercially viable retail concepts capable of attracting new audiences and revitalising Nottingham’s urban core. Working in a design sprint format, students analysed disruptive retail trends, identified city specific challenges, and proposed innovative brand propositions for currently unoccupied retail spaces across Nottingham city. A key feature of the assessment was its real world delivery, students pitched their concepts in Nottingham’s city centre, surrounded by empty units, to industry professionals in a Dragons’ Den style format. This experiential approach strengthened commercial awareness, accelerated speed to market thinking, and cross sector collaboration.