Incubators - Savethehighstreet.org

🌱 INCUBATORS

Turn vacancy into vibrancy, fast

We fill voids across high streets and in shopping centres with the most promising local entrepreneurs.

Incubators offer 13 weeks of space and support for the high street entrepreneurs that win our local competitions.

We attract lots of new occupiers fast, incubate the best ones in your voids and retain them on acceptable lease terms.

This is now possible at scale thanks to Thriver’s AI business support and SaveTheHighStreet’s unique campaigns.

We focus on shopping centres for our Property Partners or across entire town centres for our Place Partners.

1000+ applications to our incubators. 75%+ of winners move onto leases. Let’s now see what we can achieve together.

Launching incubators with industry-wide partners

Showcase:

The Bridge Incubator

We took over 6 voids that has been empty for 5+ years at the Victoria Centre in Southend-on-Sea.

250+ businesses applied and 6 winners were selected, forming a hub we called ‘The Bridge’.

All 6 winners were supported on Thriver, and each transitioned onto longer term license agreements.

“I’ve seen the challenges businesses can face and how important this kind of support is. It’s a very exciting project and a great opportunity for us at The Victoria Centre”

“This a fantastic initiative giving entrepreneurs a helping hand, supporting people with great ideas to take the risk and make it work here in Southend-on-Sea”

“We partnered with SaveTheHighStreet to turn challenging voids into incubators. We have achieved a huge amount together this year with widespread positive impact”

“The Bridge perfectly illustrates why the Council purchased the centre. We are attracting new customers and providing entrepreneurs with opportunities to thrive locally”

How we deliver Incubators

We scale-up PR, interest and applications from potential occupiers with competition-dynamics and community-wide support locally.

We assess every applicant and select businesses to win 13 weeks of rent-free space and market-leading support on Thriver at every step.

We track progress and forecast performance, supporting their transition onto commercial lease terms that work for everyone going forward.

Benefits for everyone

🏢 For Property Partners

Asset teams, developers, operators, agents and others with vacant space

Scale your tenant pipeline, fill voids, boost footfall, and measurably improve NOI

🤝 For Place Partners

Councils, BIDs and others involved in high street support or regeneration

Address vacancy challenges across town centres, even with fragmented ownership

😊 For Local Businesses

Retailers, restaurants, salons, studios and others on the high street

Join SaveTheHighStreet or Thriver to find out about Incubators you can apply for

Let’s repopulate your town or shopping centre

Get your free, no obligation Incubator plan and see how we could fill your empty spaces.

Book a call with our team anytime.

Frequently asked questions

Who can partner with you to deliver incubators?

Anyone who owns, manages or operates property with vacant space. We also deliver town centre-wide incubators with local authorities and other partners.

What types of businesses can join an incubator?

Anyone that could use space on the high street can apply. From great new ideas to established scaleups.

How long does it all take?

Each local Incubator competition runs for 4 weeks. Selected winners are then incubated for 13 weeks before signing a longer lease

Can a business leave after their incubator?

Yes. Businesses either secure their unit by accepting ongoing lease terms or get replaced by the next best business in the pipeline. Landlords can also secure rate relief at this time.

What is Thriver?

Thriver is our unique AI platform that powers local business support and analytics for Incubators.

🏬 Anchors

Transform large empty spaces into thriving multi-tenant destinations.

🚀 Accelerators

Help businesses start, launch, grow, survive or scale on the high street.

📊 Healthcheck

Help your local businesses identify and fix what’s holding them back.