NEWS that no less than five high street brands are to quit Southampton’s flagship shopping centre West Quay might raise eyebrows.

But the names, including Dorothy Perkins and Top Shop are part of the same Arcadia group and mark a decision to move out of the city centre area by the parent company.

As such we should look beyond the famous names and question whether there is a shift in shopping attitudes and where this will lead.

The Arcadia Group stores were all facing the end of their lease in the centre and that alone has triggered the move.

Yet there is also the explanation that more online shopping is to blame for quitting a high profile centre with so much footfall.

If that was true then all stores would face a bleak future as shoppers turned to their screens to find bargains.

Yet this is not the whole picture. Consumer confidence is reported to be high and spending to match.

Queues at the tills not the tablets and screens are the norm.

It seems then that the High Street is not dead, just changing.