For eighteen months most of us had to adapt how we spent our leisure time. As lockdown restrictions came in we spent more time at home and footfall in our city and town centres plummeted.

Since restrictions eased, footfall increased as more people headed out to shop, eat and socialise again.  Despite this, places are still feeling the effects of lockdown and footfall remains below pre-Covid levels in most city centres.

Will city centres ever again reach pre-pandemic visitor levels or will more people spending time at home or in their local town centres be a permanent consequence of the pandemic? Can the hospitality and retail sectors adapt to such a big change in consumer behaviour? How should city leaders and policy makers respond?

At this event we discussed these issues in more detail and heared from:

• Valentine Quinio, Analyst, Centre for Cities
• Trish Willetts, Director, Bid Coventry
  
• Denizer Ibrahim Head of Retail and Futuring, LGIM Real Assets

Watch a recording of the event here:

The event was chaired by Andrew Carter, Chief Executive at Centre for Cities

This event was hosted in partnership with: