Can the Pandemic Rescue Britain’s Shopping Areas? This Town Hopes So.

In a British coastal town, a major landlord is giving away free rent for two years as part of a redevelopment plan.

POOLE, England — Hope Dean is loyal to Poole, her hometown in southwest Britain, but she acknowledges that its shopping district has often been a source of embarrassment. Just a few miles from the most expensive coastal real estate in the country, Poole’s main shopping street is a tired mix of video game shops, coffee shops, small chain stores and lots of markets selling secondhand items that have attracted a dwindling number of shoppers. Perhaps the worst section over the years was Kingland Crescent, a forgotten stretch tucked under the shadow of a shopping center, described by Ms. Dean as “the street that everyone would avoid.”