THE OWNERS of a Worcester shopping arcade decimated by closures have been urged to do more to breathe life back into it.

Reindeer Court, accessed via The Shambles, Mealcheapen Street and New Street in Worcester city centre, has many disused units marked as for sale or let.

Signs in the windows show the proprietors of Worcester Guitar Centre have decided to shift towards music tuition only, while the Little Piano Shop and Rock Follies Vintage have also shut.

Iapetus, a business that sells art and crafted goods, has left and fashion outlet Fatlip has moved to a unit on the High Street with a planning application in to turn its old unit into a cafe. Diva Hair & Beauty is also closed.

Paula Farrington, owner of lingerie shop Embrace which has been in Reindeer Court for eight years, said her business had not been as hard hit as others by the dropping footfall that the closures have contributed to.

However, she said a mix of underinvestment, Covid-related problems and a lack of direct contact with the owners of the arcade had created a perfect storm.

"We have a lot of regular customers now and we are a destination that people know about so in that respect it has not been a problem for us," she said.

"In terms of attracting new custom, the fact we don't get the footfall we could have is always going to be an issue.

"It is a concern. The fewer business that there are here, the fewer people are going to come into Reindeer Court as a whole.

"There are a number of people who simply retired, others came to the end of leases and decided not to renew and there are others whose businesses did not lend themselves to operating in a post-Covid environment.

"The reasons have been varied but maybe Covid accelerated people's decision making.

"Over the years we have been here, we have had different landlords and none have been prepared to spend money on Reindeer Court, particularly with regard to advertising and upkeep.

"It has always been difficult to deal with the landlords and I think they have a responsibility to do something about it to put us on the map, particularly now, and they are not doing that."

Reindeer Court is managed by Worcester-based property managers Fisher German. We were referred to the relevant people responsible for Reindeer Court but they were not available for comment prior to going to press.