Safety and Shopping: Peripherality and Shopper Anxiety in the City Centre

The anxieties and fears of shoppers in the traditional shopping centres of Britain have emerged as an important aspect of the process of retail decline. Central and local government, and commercial interests in the retail sector, have responded to this challenge with the introduction of enhanced security and improved design and management strategies to combat the growing problem. However, policy initiatives have not been firmly based on the perceptions of shoppers. The authors seek to redress this imbalance by analysing consumer surveys undertaken in Cardiff and Swansea to examine the scale and nature of shopper anxieties. Although anxieties had not yet reached crisis levels, considerable causes for concern were identified which related to environmental deterioration, incidents of antisocial behaviour, and fears for the safety of shoppers' cars. Peripherality and isolation were particularly associated with the generation of fears in a variety of situations on the streets, in car parks, and in transport termini. Conversely, the advantages of a compact city centre, and improvements to the shopping environment and car parking facilities all served to reduce shoppers' anxieties and to maximise the attractions of city-centre shopping. The authors conclude that the investigation of strategies designed to maintain a safe shopping environment in British city centres warrants continued attention.