Viewpoint: City landlords have power to save retailers
LIVERPOOL’S commercial landlords are key to the recovery of the beleaguered high street, which has suffered a number of knocks in the past fortnight with the well-publicised struggles of Jane Norman, Thorntons and Liverpool-based TJ Hughes.
High streets up and down the country have seen a spate of store closures as retailers struggled to meet their rent for the quarter towards the end of June.
There is every possibility this could be repeated when the next quarter rent day falls due in September – unless landlords can work with their tenants to come to a flexible arrangement.
Such an agreement is not a one-way street.
It is just as important to landlords that their commercial units remain full as it is for retailers to ensure their stores stay open.
In the current climate, any landlord facing a double whammy of empty rates and a lack of interest in their property is likely to face financial difficulties.
The September rent quarter date is likely to present even more of a challenge to a greater proportion of retailers than the June date has.
Retailers are likely to struggle for cash as they stock up for Christmas and fight to combat rising prices for raw materials that will squeeze their margins further.
Some landlords in the city are already conscious of the strain the sector is under, and have shown themselves amenable to implementing break clauses or rent reductions to ease the pressure – and keep their units filled.
While these agreements are only temporary, it is important to ensure that they are nonetheless formalised so that both parties know where they stand.
To make the best of this difficult and potentially worsening situation, commercial landlords must be fully aware of their own financial circumstances to ensure that any reduction or break in the rent will not have a disproportionately adverse effect on their business.
Speaking to creditors about the problems being faced further down the chain could likewise yield surprising results in terms of a reprieve.
Landlords should try to maintain a healthy cashflow wherever possible to accommodate any upcoming peaks and troughs as they implement a more flexible approach to rent payments.
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