Another reason to move to Germany! Timpson boss says High Streets are thriving ... trends now

The boss of Timpson has slammed UK retail parks after claiming they are contributing to the demise of British high streets - as he praised Germany for its 'thriving' town centres.

Timpson Group CEO James Timpson claimed commercial shopping malls are a 'big problem' across the country and blamed them for taking footfall away from once bustling town centres.

The 52 year old said there are some 'terrible' high streets in the UK where 'everyone's just given up', admitting Timpson stores were 'partly to blame' due to their presence at the developments. 

He compared the UK's high streets to those in Germany 'where they don't have many retail parks' and as a result town centres there are 'thriving.' 

It comes just days after Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud also highlighted Germany's superiority over the UK by claiming the eastern European country had a 'healthier' housing market. 

However, Mr Timpson said he is 'quite confident' about the future of high streets - but suggested councils across the country follow the leads of those in Slough and Maidenhead.

He added that the future depended on 'long term, brave decisions' from councils to turn things around.

Speaking on the Full Disclosure podcast, he said: 'The high streets that I see are a massive variety of some where we can't even open up a shop because there's no vacancies and everyone's there and it's thriving and it's busy.

'And other places where it's terrible and everyone's just given up, they might as well just close up.

'So, the future of the high street, I'm quite confident about but you can't see them as shops you have to see them as buildings.

'And actually, it needs long term, brave decisions with the councils really.

'So, if you go to Slough and Maidenhead, they're changing the town centres dramatically by basically reducing the number of shops and instead putting cinemas and libraries and senior living and that kind of thing.

'Whereas others, it needs serious investment - but not to make more shops, but to make them into something else.'

He continued: 'The big problem is retail parks. We're in a lot of retail parks, so we're sort of partly to blame.

'But if you go to Germany where they don't have many retail parks, the town centres are thriving.'

Young Brits living in Germany have spoken of how much they enjoy living abroad after Grand Designs star Kevin McCloud told first time buyers if they can't afford to buy a house they should 'move to Germany'. 

The TV presenter advised young people looking to get on the property ladder to abandon their hopes of buying a house in the UK and instead 'move to another country where the housing market is healthy'.  

He told the news website JOE that almost every other North European country and Canada have got 'really healthy markets, lots of diverse opportunities, lots of diverse offers and it isn't hugely expensive'.

The 64-year-old said: 'My advice is move to Germany, maybe that's the way forward.'

Elle, a British woman living in Germany, said one of the best things about the country was the price of alcohol.

She said: 'You can get a good bottle of wine for €2-3. It's super cheap.'

Another expat, Berveleen, said: 'It's just an hour's flight from the UK. It's very easy to drive to other countries. I find it so easy to make friends in Germany. 

Expat Jason Parmar said there was 'good value for food and drinks' and praised the country's parks, as well as the nightclubs.