Crouch End Retail Survey start 2025

Another glimpse at the health of the Crouch End high street. Last year’s report can be found here.

Comings and goings

The previous 12 months (2023) saw the demise of well-loved institutions such as Banner’s, Bishop’s, and Carter’s. Few of those left now, but at least 2024 saw the churn and the vacancy rate lessen somewhat. Hopefully the shops will survive the year ahead.

Hellos to –

The Good Reader PH, Jumi Cheese, Crouch End Clayhouse, Shiku Fox, Udderlicious, Walter Denim, Black Lion Food Express, Charcoal homewares, Ivie & Co, Best 2 Fish, Phone Love, Rise Crouch End, Brunch on the Hill, Estar Wellbeing, Exit Here, Fight for Sight, Light Shutters, Phone & Vape, Nail Artistry & Spa, Twins barbers, Casa Pergola, Max Home, and an extra Waitrose.

Pick the bones out of that.

Farewells –

Barclays Bank, JoJo Maman Bébé, Dragon Restaurant, Roast & Greens, Kakao Maya, Harringay Arms (off and on), Pink Zebra cafe (?), Rocco Borghese, Maxxi’s, RFC Chicken & Ribs, Curry Club.

Briefly, the familiar trends continue…. 

The shares of retail, convenience, leisure, services, etc. remain largely static although a few things do stand out – very few banks remain, and the hospitality and service offers seem to be operating very far from full capacity.

Last year we observed that conditions for eateries are difficult, and things have not improved. The % of units hovers around the 20% mark, high but diminishing. Stroud Green presents real competition.

The number of vacancies has lessened somewhat, from 32 last year to 26 this. And the annual churn rate, always a useful reference, has fallen from a high 15% of units (nearly 50 businesses) to 11%. Tottenham Lane’s parades remain a downmarket prospect of charity shops and down-market beauty parlours.

2008 v. 2024. The departure of the banks, rise of cinemas and gyms, but notably the decline of F&B and comparison shops.

We may yet rely still upon the coffee shop as USP, but other services are challenging this image – the total of beauty clinics, hairdressers and yoga studios (and the like) is now 50+ units, almost as many as all the food & beverage businesses combined. More have opened already in 2025.

The closure of all but a few comparison stores (in other words, what we used to call shops) is the real long-term story. The sector occupied 25% of floorspace in 2008, was at 19% before the pandemic, 14% now. With an almost complete absence of comparison chains (ignoring the charity shops we have Waterstones, Oliver Bonas, Specsavers, and EE), Crouch End is simply not a shopping destination anymore.

As mentioned previously, the context for all this is of course the much cited high street decline, the cost of living, and the longer term trend to online shopping we’ve seen play out over the last few years. We must hope that an attractive and viable balance can be maintained. Of course, some infrastructure improvements would help considerably, a few trees, fewer cars? Widened pavements, decluttering, pavement cafés? Flexible commercial tenure, community and cultural activity?

And lastly, every year we seem to promise the completion of Hornsey Town Hall, with its 68 bed aparthotel, venue, arts centre, workspaces, restaurants. Who knows when it’ll happen, but with the sale announced and new art operators on board, surely it must be soon?

Graphics credit CENF 2025, base mapping Crown copyright Ordnance Survey 2021, LBH 100019199