by Jo James, chief executive, Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce

Tempting as it is, I’m not going to start with any horse jokes, even though there are some pretty good ones doing the rounds.

But one positive thing to come from the situation is that sales at local independent butchers are rising.

The days of fresh bread from our bakers, meat from our butchers, vegetables from our greengrocer and general supplies from the local store, are sadly a thing of the past for many.

The ease of getting into a car, driving to the local supermarket and getting everything under one roof appeals to the majority. Then of course there’s the biggest competitor - the Internet.

It’s easy to see why HMV is in trouble. In 2002, online accounted for just 6.5% of overall sales but this has risen to an astonishing 73.4% in 2012.

Where does this leave our local shops and high streets?

Mary Portas has taken on the challenge of putting life back into our town centres, and what advice does she give? Bringing back the old tradition of local markets and independent retailing but with greater use of technology.

This approach would give towns back some individual identity; so many high streets look the same with the usual national brands taking prominent positions.

Building up local markets gives retail start-ups the opportunity to get their first taste of self employment before they are ready to make that big step. That step comes at a cost.

With high rents and rates, footfall with money needs to be sufficient to make it viable. Sadly, spare cash is becoming a luxury.

I don’t seem to be painting a good picture here, so I’ll stop looking at this from half empty and start with half full!

We can have the best of both worlds. Mary Portas is right, we need to bring technology into the high street. I like to browse online, but I also like to look at what I am buying - click and collect.

Let me browse around your town on my iPhone and see what’s on offer. What local offers are you going to give me via my phone to entice me into your town?

Whilst I’m picking up my new dress ordered from your online store, I can make the most of the offers by visiting other retailers with my i-voucher.

I can then go to a local cafe, eat and drink local produce before getting up for round two - a look around the local market.

That’s a perfect day’s shopping for me!