Representing over 350 business across South London, the Croydon Business Association (CBA) has spoken exclusively to Convenience Store about what it calls the visible decline of the area as a result of crime, underfunding and more.
“The CBA was formed to give local businesses a voice - something that was sorely lacking,” said managing director Benedict Selvaratnam (below left). “It came together out of frustration - Croydon’s town centre has been in visible decline, yet when meetings were being held about regeneration, crime or planning, none of us were at the table.”
The CBA acts as a representative body that speaks to local government, supports members, hosts events and campaigns for tangible changes in the borough. “The aim is simple - to shift Croydon from neglect to revival and make sure businesses are part of the conversation,” Selvaratnam adds.
He also believes the borough has been forgotten, including the area’s main shopping precint, the Whitgift Centre. “Croydon is in a precarious state. A promised regeneration plan led to leases not being renewed, businesses relocating or shutting down, and widespread uncertainty. That “limbo” has lasted over a decade.
“The Whitgift Centre is now a shadow of itself. Walk through on a weekend and you’ll see more shutters than open doors. It’s demoralising. Search ’Croydon town centre’ online and you’ll find national media coverage calling it a ghost town - they’re not exaggerating.”
“Retailers face a lack of footfall, uncertainty around development timelines, anti-social behaviour and crime…”
Selvaratnam adds that there are numerous reasons why the area has reached this precarious state. “Retailers face a lack of footfall, uncertainty around development timelines, anti-social behaviour and crime, high operating costs without the foot traffic to match and a disconnection from decision-makers,” he explains.
The list of incidents witnessed in the borough will sadly be familiar to most retailers. “We’ve seen knife crime incidents within feet of businesses, unprovoked shoplifting and assaults with a minimal police response, abandoned properties acting as magnets for crime and drug use and businesses forced to shut - even after decades of trading,” Selvaratnam says.
Despite all of the above, and thanks to the work of the CBA, Selvaratnam believes there are now some green shoots of recovery for this blighted area. “We’ve started to get traction. Through CBA’s lobbying and public campaigning we pushed for facial recognition cameras in high-crime zones which were successfully installed, and we’ve partnered with groups like Safer Croydon to push back on rising knife crime.”
“It’s a pivotal moment. Westfield - the long-delayed mega-project - is still uncertain. There’s a new application to redevelop part of the older section of the Whitgift site into seven new stores.
“But we’re not waiting around. The CBA is working to launch initiatives like the Croydon AI Summit which will drive innovation into our business community and Happy Town 2030, which is a positive vision campaign to rebrand Croydon.”
You can find out more about the CBA’s work here.
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