Next chief executive Lord Wolfson has called for an overhaul of UK planning rules, arguing that high streets need to evolve in response to permanent changes in the way consumers shop.
Wolfson said attempts to revive town centres would struggle unless redundant retail space can be more easily converted for alternative uses, including homes, offices, healthcare and leisure.
The comments come as the continued growth of online shopping reshapes the amount and type of physical retail space required across the UK.
Rather than attempting to restore high streets to their previous form, Wolfson argues that planning policy needs to make it easier for town centres to adapt to changing consumer behaviour.
His comments coincide with Next reporting another strong set of results, with the retailer raising its full-year profit expectations despite taking a more cautious view of the UK consumer outlook.
The debate over the future of the high street has increasingly shifted towards how physical retail can complement digital channels, while town centres develop a broader mix of residential, leisure, hospitality, healthcare and commercial uses.
For retailers, the evolution could ultimately result in fewer traditional retail units but more productive locations designed around the changing ways consumers shop, work and spend their leisure time.
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