THERE is an urgent need for more men’s clothes shops in Stroud, according to a survey carried out by the SNJ.

More than 80 per cent of people surveyed in Stroud town centre said they felt there were enough shops in the town, but not the right types of shops.

A number of the people who were surveyed said there were too many phone shops and not enough places to buy men’s essentials, such as pants and socks.

They called for more variety, asking instead for a Marks & Spencer, brand name clothing shops and menswear.

There was a 50/50 split on the supermarket question – with half of the participants saying they would like to see a new supermarket in the town while the other half said that they would not.

However, every person who took part in the survey said they shopped in at least one of the three main supermarkets already in the Stroud area.

There were calls for more outside dining and a Starbucks; however, around 75 per cent of those surveyed said there was the right amount of cafes and bars already in the town.

The majority of those surveyed said they shopped in Stroud high street for the convenience, the variety of independent stores and the friendly, quirky atmosphere in the town – however, most agreed that the town needed a “facelift” in order to entice new customers to the high street.

This week retail specialist Harper Dennis Hobbs released its rankings of high streets across the country – placing Stroud 493rd out of 500 on the Vitality Index.

Jonathan De Mello, head of retail consultancy at HDH, said: “This is the first ever retail ranking for Great Britain to incorporate ‘vitality’, taking into account the quality of retail provision in a centre.”

The rankings take into account that a relatively small retail centre with a great selection of brands can be just as vibrant as some of Britain’s largest retail centres.

According to HDH, British retail centres are often judged on their vacancy rate alone, however a centre full of unfashionable tenants should be assessed in a similar way to centres with high vacancy rates.

The bottom 50 rankings show the locations that need to improve their retail offer and adapt to their local consumer.