Broxbourne Borough Council produced two reports dated August 2006 and October 2008.

The statistics were used to justify the requirement to develop Brookfield Farm concluding that Hoddesdon Town Centre had a similar offering to many other Town Centres. Our research demonstrates that compared with the national average this is no longer the case.

An explanation of each retail category is provided below with the list on the left being the existing retail offer whilst the list in brown on the right identifies the retail offers currently not available.

Summary No of Units % of Total UK Average % (2008) Variance
Comparison 33 17.46 35.47 -18.01
Convenience 8 4.23 8.71 -4.48
Service 91 48.15 45.72 2.43
Miscellaneous 1 0.53 0.17 0.36
Vacant 56 29.63 9.92 19.71
Total 189 100 100 100

Comparison Shops

Existing retail offer Unavailable retail offer
Ladies wear and accessories. Mens wear.
Gift and Greetings Card Shops. DIY and Home Improvements.
Charity Shops. Music and Video Recordings.
Chemists/ Drugstores. Telephone and Accessories.
Children’s wear.  

Convenience Goods

Existing retail offer Unavailable retail offer
Supermarkets. Grocers.
Convenience Store. Fishmongers.
Bakers. Health foods.
Delicatessens.  

Service

Existing retail offer
Health and Beauty
Fast Food and Takeaway Outlets.
Restaurants and Cafes.
Property Services Operators.
High Street Banks.

What do local residents want to buy?

A recent Action4Hoddesdon survey asked this question and there was an overwhelming majority who would like to see more Comparison and Convenience Goods. There is a demand for: