I counted the number of charity and bargain shops filling gaps left by major chains in Wolverhampton city centre
Around town and city centres in the West Midlands, there are more and more charity and budget shopping shops opening their doors.
The change in shopping culture in town and city centres, aligned with established companies experiencing financial and business problems, has seen a change in the type of shop available for people to visit.
In Wolverhampton, major chains such as Marks & Spencer, River Island, Debenhams, Woolworths, Wilko and Beatties have disappeared from the main shopping streets over the years, leaving a void which has been filled by smaller shops and more budget businesses.
To find out more, I took a walk around Wolverhampton city centre to see how much it had changed, as well as see how many charity, budget and pawn shops had opened up across the Mander Centre, Wulfrun Centre and on the outdoor streets and what major chains they had replaced.
I started inside the Wulfrun Centre, a shopping centre full of a number of diverse places to buy everything from vapes to clothes to comic books and video game paraphernalia.
While there are a few independent shops and bigger shops inside, there are also a few budget and pawn shops, including one of the most prominent of the bargain shops.
Entering from Cleveland Street at the entrance nearest Wolverhampton Central Library, you'll see three shops almost directly next to each other, separated only by a Subway sandwich shop.
