'It's not too late to save the High Street'

Paul Manuel (left) is among retailers taking part in the workshops

Shop owners say "it's not too late to save the High Street" amid the launch of a series of support sessions aiming to boost trade in the run up to Christmas.

Retailers on Teesside are being invited to take part in the workshops providing help on how to draw customers back to town centres hit by competition from online operators and large retail parks.

Paul Manuel, who has a cycle business in Hartlepool, welcomed the scheme, saying he hoped it could "give people the encouragement to shop locally".

Consultant Graham Soult, who will be leading the sessions, believes small firms "can't compete with Amazon or a big shed but can offer something different".

Organised by the Tees Valley Combined Authority with funding from the government, in-person events got under way in Redcar and Hartlepool this week with further sessions following in Darlington, Middlesbrough and Stockton from next Monday.

There will also be three online sessions, on Thursday this week and next Monday and Tuesday.

'Strategy and investment'

Mr Manuel, whose family have run Wetrocknride, on Hartlepool's York Street, since 2013, is among those who will be taking part.

He told the BBC "pressures are there" for High Street shops with his own town having seen the loss of several major names such as H&M and further back Woolworths.

"In the middle of the town centre there are a lot of empty units. It might be a trendy topic now, but this has been happening for 15 or 20 years.

"A majority of people default to Amazon now. People vote with their wallets.

"There needs to be a long-term strategy and investment [to reverse the decline]."

Caroline Elliott says shops must offer good products and matching levels of service

Caroline Elliott, who runs the Cheese and Wine shop at Darlington's Clark's Yard, will also be joining one of the workshops in the hope of "picking up a few tricks we can implement quite quickly or use next year".

Expecting December to bring in "three times as much business as the rest of the year", she explained: "It's not too late for High Streets.

"We've grown the business in the last year, but you've got to have good products and offer a good experience.

"We've got more than 50 cheeses and we cut to size, so there's an element of it being bespoke.

"We also do tasting nights and they've brought in new customers."

'Roll-out red carpet'

Retail expert Mr Soult says small shops "can shine by offering those human experiences".

"Independents are rooted in the town, they build relationships with customers and offer delight you can't get on your smartphone.

"You don't feel festive browsing Amazon, it's functional and boring whereas a store can uplift you."

He is advising firms to:

• Define and celebrate their strengths

• Roll-out the red carpet for customers with window and in-store displays

• Spread word of mouth through social media

• Work with other businesses to champion the local area