440
Business Supported throughout our unique Highstreet Support
1200+
Businesses visited, for in person introduction and engagement
44
Workshops delivered across different Highstreets, with Hybrid available
The Challenge
High street businesses across Surrey are fighting to stay visible, relevant and commercially viable. Across the UK around 37 highstreet outlets close every day, highlighting the pressure facing local Surrey highstreet businesses as costs rise, consumer behaviour shifts, and online retail continues to reshape how people shop.
For Surrey County Council, the challenge was to support high street businesses to keep trading, build confidence in operating digitally, and respond to the changing needs of local residents, while helping town centres become more resilient and capable of supporting long-term local growth.
Our Support
The Surrey High Street Support Programme provided direct, hands-on support to town centre businesses through a team of expert Smarter Society High Street Mentors. Rather than offering generic advice from a distance, mentors worked closely with businesses in-store, taking time to understand their day-to-day challenges, customer experience, digital presence, marketing activity and growth opportunities.
This practical, business-first approach meant support was shaped around the needs of each individual business. Through tailored mentoring, in-store guidance and accessible resources, the programme has helped 440 of Surrey’s high street businesses build confidence, improve how they attract and engage customers, strengthen their digital capability, and become more resilient in a changing trading environment.