Mary Portas has criticised supermarkets for killing off smaller retailers TV retail guru Mary Portas is to carry out a government-backed review aimed at halting the “decline of the high street” in England.
She will look at the problem of empty shops and how to prevent the growth of “clone towns” dominated by chainstores.
Ms Portas, the star of Mary Queen of Shops and Secret Shopper, is due to present her findings in the autumn.
Prime Minister David Cameron said high streets had to become more “vibrant and diverse” in an effort to survive.
Ms Portas’s review, carried out for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, will involve visits to several town centres and “engagement events” with shop-owners and customers.
She said: “With town centre vacancy rates doubling over the last two years the need to take action to save our high streets has never been starker.
“I am calling on businesses, local authorities and shoppers to contribute their ideas on how we can halt this decline in its tracks and create town centres that we can all be proud of.”
A report published on Monday by the Ernst & Young Item Club suggests UK high street spending will not return to pre-recession levels until 2013.
It also said consumer spending is expected to rise by only 2% a year up to 2020.
Ms Portas will present her report to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the aim being “to identify what government, local authorities and businesses can do to promote the development of more prosperous and diverse high streets”.
Mr Clegg said: “Empty high streets are a blight on the local economy. Vacant shops are also a wasted opportunity with far reaching consequences.
“When goods and services start to disappear, our sense of community can be weakened and undermined. It is vital therefore that we examine what steps can be taken to revitalise and reinvigorate high street shopping centres across the country.”
Mr Cameron said: “The high street should be at the very heart of every community, bringing people together, providing essential services and creating jobs and investment; so it is vital that we do all that we can to ensure they thrive.
“That is why I am delighted that Mary Portas has agreed to take on this review and I am confident that her straight-talking, no-nonsense approach will help us to create vibrant and diverse town centres and bring back the bustle to our high streets.”
Previously Ms Portas has blamed supermarkets for “killing” Britain’s smaller shops by making it impossible for them to compete on price.
A former creative director at Harvey Nichols retail group, she has since become known as a TV expert on transforming under-performing shops.
Ms Portas starred in Mary Queen of Shops on the BBC Two before moving to Channel 4, where she presents Secret Shopper.
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