After enduring a protracted and damaging recession, new figures show Britain has finally bounced back - or has it? Many analysts think retail will lead the way back to good times; others caution that, if we are to reduce the debt mountain and overstretched personal finances, we cannot spend our way out of it on easy credit. DAN COOMBS interviewed a man ideally positioned to give us a steer - Andrew Davy, general manager of The Mall Pavilions shopping centre in Uxbridge High Street

"THIS place was not getting the TLC it needed."

Andrew Davy does not hold back when describing the state of the shopping centre he inherited when he took the reins last July.

At one point there were 17 empty units - about a quarter of the shopping centre's capacity - and although this has been reduced to just one which is not filled or has no agreed tenant, there is plenty of work to be done in other areas.

"One corner of the Mall was almost dead. We have worked hard to brighten it and open it up," he said.

The introduction of Bella's Café and Mostyn's Curtains and Fabrics has injected some much needed life into a formerly drab corner, and after a far better than expected Christmas for retailers of all shapes and sizes, the mood is buoyant - although Mr Davy forecasts a difficult year ahead.

"There is a bit of a reluctance to spend. We have noticed people are tightening the purse strings ahead of the General Election, and the inevitable tax rises and spending cuts.

"Most of the vulnerable retailers folded this time last year, but we do expect further casualties towards the autumn. We may be out of recession but we do not forecast 2010 being any easier. The VAT increase had no real effect because it was so negligible in the first place.

"They key is keeping things looking lively, with posters on any empty shop windows."

There are grand long-term plans for The Mall Pavilions, one of many up and down the UK distinguished by their large pink M logo and part of The Mall Fund, a City private equity vehicle made up of 45 investors and managed by shopping centre specialists Capital and Regional.

Mr Davy revealed he is trying to attract one of the most sought after stores, Primark, something of which the almost 1,000 members of an online campaign to bring one to the town would wholeheartedly approve.

"Uxbridge needs a Primark and we are actively pursing them," said Mr Davy.

"They are value-led retailers with quality, exactly the right fit for our centre.

"The problem is the size of the site they would require. There were discussions about them taking over the old Woolworth's site (opposite the Mall Pavilions) but that is only one third of what they would need.

"It would require us to redevelop, which we are open to - we have space out the back - but it comes down to finances.

"At the moment we cannot afford to do anything, but if the opportunity presents itself we will go for it."

Redevelopment from street to roof is a project some may think is long overdue. Atop the Mall Pavilions, a2Dominion's Nova Point, a mix of social housing, shared equity and open market apartments, is finished and selling well.

But it serves merely to emphasise the brutalist concrete lines of some of the architecture and the spindly, 1970s-style glass porch at the Windsor Street end of the shopping centre.

Back to the here and now - among the new retailers are specialist store Oriental Goods, and there is a site for community social care organisation Hillingdon LINk.

Anchor store Marks and Spencer's is currently spending £2.5million on a refurbishment.

"We like to encourage independent retailers, and our market is a unique selling point. We want to help improve that this year," said Mr Davy.

"We don't compete with The Chimes (shopping centre across the High Street); we look to complement them by offering something different, for a different type of shopper.

"The Poundland will be staying, despite the fact we have a new one in the High Street. We expected its takings to drop by 50 per cent this Christmas because of that, but they only fell by 30 per cent, so financially they did better than expected and have decided to keep two stores in Uxbridge for the time being."

Mr Davy is also encouraged by the £250,000 works to improve Uxbridge High Street. Work has restarted on the project after a break in December and January designed to avoid disrupting Christmas and January sale shoppers.

Mr Davy said: "I am really pleased with the work that's going on; it gives the High Street a huge opportunity.

"It will be a very clean, clear High Street, and it is up to those in charge to do something with it and bring it to life.

"We could have entertainers there, market stalls and even cafés using the area for outside seating, all of which makes the properties on the edge of it more valuable. It should be fantastic eventually."

Casting an eye over the planned development of RAF Uxbridge, Mr Davy is not fearful of competition.

"We are keeping a keen eye on it, but the shopping area is not massive. There should be enough local shops for people living there, maybe a Tesco Metro .

"The main issue is making a good link between the area and Uxbridge High Street, and it will be interesting to see how it all develops over the next few years."

He also revealed the Mall Pavilions is in talks to buy and manage the two car parks serving it, The Cedars and The Granges.

"At the moment they are not up to the standard The Mall expects. We were in talks to buy them (from Hillingdon Council) but it fell through, and now it is unlikely anything will happen until after the election, but we are keen.

"We would be able to make them bright, clean and with better facilities for the disabled, better security and pay-on-foot rather than pay-anddisplay."