As I write this article I have just heard that Borders Books are the latest High Street retailer to become a victim of the recession. Whilst I try to be an optimist I cannot help but think that the Dubai issue is going to have a major impact on our economy which is the last thing we need right now.With Threshers, Woolworths, MFI and others having gone to the wall, High Streets have suffered massively and I cannot see how they are going to recover from it in the short term. High streets need footfall in order for the businesses in them to survive. If you take away major shops, the public have less need to visit the High street and this plays right into the hands of the major multiples that are located on the edge of the town.In Soham High Street, the Butchers have recently reopened and are now owned by a Soham family. The Bakers and Greengrocers are also owned by Soham families and I too can proudly say that I am Soham “born and bred” and I own one of the two main shops in Town. Many other businesses in the High Street survive by the footfall that we all generate and this allows our small community to flourish as we all stand shoulder to shoulder.In any finely balanced economy it takes very little to cause a major disruption. Out of Town Supermarkets are major threats to local economies despite what people may think. Surveys show that new Supermarkets cause a net job loss of 260 people as local shops and businesses close.  £1 spent in a family owned shop is worth four times more to the local economy than £1 spent in a large Supermarket where profits are re distributed to shareholders who demand more each year.All of the major supermarkets are on the prowl for new areas to grow in.  They want to take as much market share as possible and do not care who they “kill off” in the process.  Lets all do what we can to protect the High Streets that we so often take for granted.  As we say in our industry “when it’s gone its gone” and that can apply to the heart of the community as much as anything.