Given what’s been happening not just in the UK but around the world in 2020, it’s unsurprising that many retailers are struggling to keep their doors open (even when there isn’t an enforced lockdown).

As research from PwC UK and Local Data Company showed last month, store closures in the UK hit record levels in the country in the first half of this year.

The firm found that 11,120 chain operator shops closed in the first six months of 2020, while just 5,119 outlets opened in the same period. This means there are more than 6,000 fewer retail outlets on UK high streets as a result.

As The Conversation recently noted, this means there is a surplus of properties available that were once shops. What happens to these will depend on different areas, but it suggested that some could be redesigned and turned into offices.

However, there is another option and one that the publication stated could be particularly beneficial not only to commercial landlords, but also to communities.

It suggested redeveloping these empty shops for “a more varied mix of complementary uses”.

“This could include universities and colleges expanding their campuses; galleries, workshops and showrooms for the arts and creative sector; community enterprises and hubs; and health and wellbeing services which will be essential in the post-Covid era,” the news provider said.

Redeveloping spaces for different uses, particularly as galleries, could mean that there is demand for structural glazing to give these storefronts a contemporary look, as well as making it easy for passers by to see the pieces on display.