WALKING through the Sovereign Centre in Boscombe yesterday, I was saddened to see so many empty shops and think the problem is partly due to retailers concentrating on the lower end of the market.

Although Boscombe has a reputation for being a centre for those less fortunate, there is also a good percentage of hard-working, industrious folk who would welcome the opportunity to purchase good quality goods at reasonable prices.

The best way to improve the area’s image would be to encourage some of the flagship London retailers to open branches there and in order to appear less intimidating and more user-friendly, perhaps they could open under sub brand names.

I was thinking along the lines of Arids, R.V. Nicks, Fortune and Mason, Miss Selfish and Johnny Lewis. Having completed their purchases, shoppers could then reward themselves with a scrummy afternoon tea at The Pitz Graham Cribb Branksome Wood Road, Bournemouth