THE news that the national chain Mothercare is to go to administration appears to be another nail in the coffin of the traditional High Street.

The baby-goods chain has been a familiar town centre fixture for years, and it’s not as if people have stopped having children, so why has it ended up in such a troubled place?

The answers being offered are many; they include the inexorable rise of shopping via the internet, the fact that other High Street chains are offering baby goods of comparable quality, and the constant upward pressure on staff costs, rents and business rates.

There is no doubt that the internet will have had a strong effect, considering how many things are available to buy there, in many cases with overnight delivery promised.

It’s pretty tempting to sit in front of a screen, a purchase a few points-and-clicks away, instead of getting in the car, driving into town, trying to find a parking space, paying for that parking place if you find one, struggling through the crowds to find the shop and then find the items you want, queueing at the checkout and then getting through the whole

going-home process.

But commentators in the national media have also pointed out that the Mothercare brand seems to have lost its way in recent years, and has lost its place in consumers’ minds as the obvious go-to option for baby goods.

That is a state of affairs which it would be perfectly reasonable to lay at the feet of the company’s senior management.

Be that as it may, it seems that our town and city centres are undoubtedly changing, with several well-known names having vanished into oblivion during recent years.

This is a process that it will ultimately be futile to resist, as no government wanting to be re-elected would dare curtail on-line shopping. People won’t be pushed around in an attempt to curtail their shopping choices.

But we cannot ignore the fact that town centres are changing. Retailers can conduct businesses over the internet but the same cannot be said of food and drink outlets, and businesses such as hair salons.

To an extent, we must resign ourselves to these changes, but the sociable nature of human beings will see to it that town centre won’t die just yet.