THE IMPORTANCE OF APPEARANCE & SHOPPER EXPERIENCE: HOW PLANNED MAINTENANCE COULD SAVE THE HIGHTSTREET.
The Power of Appearance and Shopper Experience: How Planned Maintenance is Saving the High Street.
At AM Planned Maintenance, we’re not shy about celebrating the incredible work our team does across the UK. From emergency callouts to long-term maintenance contracts, we take pride in every repair, restoration, and refurbishment we carry out. But this week, instead of blowing our own trumpet, we want to spotlight something even bigger—something that shows the true value of well-executed commercial property maintenance.
For years, we’ve heard the same story: “The high street is dying.” Headlines about empty shops, declining footfall, and the rise of online shopping have painted a bleak picture. But one ground-breaking initiative is proving that with the right investment in planned maintenance and thoughtful refurbishment, the high street can not only survive—it can thrive.
Enter the High Streets Heritage Action Zone Programme. Launched in 2020 by Historic England in collaboration with Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this ambitious scheme targeted 67 struggling high streets across the country. The goal? To bring them back to life through heritage-led regeneration.
Instead of opting for modern facades and flashy signage, the programme went in a different direction: it embraced history. Shopfronts were lovingly restored to resemble their heritage designs from over a century ago, complete with traditional signage, rich colours, and unified themes that ran the length of each street.
The result? A dramatic revival.
Footfall increased
Local businesses saw higher turnover
Community pride soared
This heritage-first approach may sound nostalgic, but it’s anything but outdated. It’s proof that when buildings look cared for, people care more about the places they shop in—and the businesses within them.
Why It Matters to Us at AM Planned Maintenance
This project strikes a chord with us because it demonstrates exactly what we’ve believed for decades: appearance and maintenance matter. A cracked façade, a rotting window frame, or peeling signage doesn’t just make a building look bad—it affects customer experience, brand perception, and ultimately, the bottom line.
We see it every day. Businesses that invest in planned commercial maintenance and speedy reactive maintenance, not only save money but also create a warmer more welcoming atmosphere for their customers, making them a place where their customer wants to spend their time.
Bringing That High Street Energy to Every Business
What the High Streets Heritage Action Zone has done on a national scale, we aim to do with every client we work with. We strive to maintain that sure that atmosphere and welcome you have worked so hard to create, because good reactive maintenance isn’t just about fixing what’s broken. It’s about preserving value, enhancing experience, and creating spaces people want to return to—again and again.