While Aylesbury continues to attract shoppers, cafés and independent businesses, empty shopfronts remain scattered across the town centre, highlighting the difficulties many retailers face in today's economic climate.
Rising business rates, increasing rents, higher energy bills and growing employment costs have all added pressure to businesses already competing with the continued rise of online shopping.
Changing consumer habits have also reshaped the high street. More shoppers now choose the convenience of buying online, while others increasingly favour retail parks where parking is often easier and stores are larger.
For many independent retailers, balancing rising overheads with reduced footfall has become increasingly difficult, leaving some with little choice but to close their doors.
Vacant units are not unique to Aylesbury, with town centres across the UK experiencing similar trends. However, empty properties can have a noticeable impact on the appearance of a high street and may influence how visitors perceive the town.
In response, councils across the country are exploring new ways to bring long-term vacant premises back into use, including regeneration projects and High Street Rental Auction powers aimed at helping empty shops find new tenants.
Despite the challenges, many businesses continue to thrive in Aylesbury, and investment in the town centre remains ongoing. But the empty units serve as a reminder of how much the retail landscape has changed in recent years.
On the flip side, it also means there is ample opportunity for news businesses to come start up at empty premises in the town.
Scroll through our gallery to see the empty units.
5. Fever and Cirque, Kingsbury
Pub/club Fever and Cirque - formerly Hobgoblin and Mangrove Jack's - still sits dormant after closing in Kingsbury. Photo: Iconic Media
6. Vodafone, Market Square
Vodafone and Three stressed it is committed to the UK high street following a merger and will remain in every town where it already has a presence. However, the transformation plan saw some consolidation leading to a small number of store closures where Vodafone and Three currently run nearby premises, as they did in Aylesbury, leading to the Vodafone store shutting in Market Square as it merged with the Three Store in neighbouring Friars Square. Photo: Iconic Media
7. The Green Man, Market Square
Another in a long list of lost pubs in Aylesbury and the UK in general is The Green Man in Market Square which sits dormant. Photo: Iconic Media
8. New York Kitchen, Hale Leys
After the long-running success of New York Deli in Friars Square, there was an expansion with the opening of New York Kitchen in the Hale Leys Shopping Centre opposite. The restaurant, which also featured an ice cream parlour and bar upstairs, opened in March 2022 amid much fanfare but closed just months later and has remained empty for nearly four years since. Photo: Iconic Media