WHAT will life be like for shoppers once the lockdown ends? There’s no doubt that some High Streets will become tumbleweed towns.

Debenhams is going, Top Shop, Miss Selfridge and Top Man are history and Burtons could be, well, going for a burton.

That’s not even mentioning the other big names that have gone bust or shut swathes of stores since the pandemic began- Mothercare, Evans, Bon Marche, Peacocks, Kath Kidston and John Lewis are but a few examples.

In Basildon, even Laura Ashley has succumbed to the fallout of the corona crisis and closed its Westgate branch.

But there’s positive news at Basildon’s Eastgate Shopping Centre which appears to be bucking the trend of doom. The centre has recently opened three new shops, which in this climate is something to be celebrated.

Eastgate Centre manager, Ian Clark, is confident he will be welcoming in crowds of shoppers once the restrictions end - despite the mall losing its main department store, Debenhams, which has become a victim of the Arcadia Group retail massacre.

“I’m expecting people to have a huge appetite for visiting us again,” he said.

“The confidence was there even before the current national lockdown. We welcomed two new store openings in 24 hours at the start of the delayed Christmas rush and a third followed soon after.

“Of course, the expected closures of Topshop/Topman and Debenhams are sad for shoppers across the country who have valued those stores for many years.

“That’s true in Basildon as it is elsewhere. Our thoughts continue to be with their staff.

“Nothing stands still in retail and in the evolution of town and city centres, a process likely accelerated by Covid-19 and changing patterns of living, working and shopping.

As for Debenhams, Ian is confident the unit won’t be empty for long. The future of the Debenhams space was already being addressed as part of the Basildon masterplan vision. The plan would see part of the shopping centre being transformed into a multi-use space with retail, workplace, town centre eating and leisure.

The shopping centre currently has eight units available for retailers to rent, with interest in four of these units.

“Another four units are currently closed and are in the hands of the administrators of each business, but the good news is that we have interest from new operators for two of these already,” he added.

“The types of operators who were previously in the vacant units include a bookmaker and a food outlet, again part of wider national trends in the ebb and flow of demand, some of which is due to the Covid pandemic and some due to other external influences.

“What is encouraging for Eastgate, and for our visitors, is that the overwhelming majority of our retailers and other operators are ready and waiting for the green light to open again. Add in the expected new arrivals and there is real confidence in Eastgate and Basildon.”

Basildon Tory councillor Phil Turner said: “The Debenhams loss will be a blow but I believe Eastgate has a greater chance of success than many other town centre locations. Firstly the free parking facilities are excellent, the environment is pleasant. It’s well maintained, light and airy and not to mention completely covered.

“However none of this would matter without the offering that the shops bring and in that respect Eastgate have a good mix and diversity of retail both in products and food. Collectively these factors roll up into one very nice neat package.”