A TEAM of retail experts is coming to Hull to explore ways the city can save its struggling high street.

About 17 per cent of shops across Yorkshire are standing empty.

In Hull, this figure now stands at 21.4 per cent – an improvement on last year's figure of 24.2 per cent, but still higher than the national average.

Next week, experts from Insight With Passion (IWP) will be hosting a retail clinic in the city and are urging anyone with an involvement in Hull's retail sector to get involved, from retailers and avid shoppers to commuters and city centre residents.

Retail expert Kate Hardcastle, who is leading the event, explained why Hull has been chosen as one of ten towns and cities to host the special clinic.

She said: "I travel the world with my job and have done for a long time, but my home, family and friends are in Yorkshire.

"It reached the point where I would come home and get depressed about what had happened to the region's high streets.

"I know statistics only tell one part of the story, but there is no escaping that the number of empty shops is a problem, particularly in the north of England.

"In Hull, this figure is not as bad as Bradford, for example, but it is still high.

"So, instead of talking about it I decided to do something, and back in 2009 I began looking at what I could do."

Kate successfully piloted her Town Centre Rejuvenation scheme in Huddersfield.

The pilot introduced a number of initiatives, including encouraging stores to work together to create loyalty schemes to boost sales and transforming empty shops into art galleries to prevent them becoming an eyesore – a method that was adopted in Hull last year.

Hull retailers, shoppers and residents have already been providing feedback on what they feel needs to be done via social networking sites.

IWP's retail team has also been in Hull mystery shopping and speaking to residents and retailers.

But Kate is keen to point out that she is not about to tell people "how to suck eggs".

She added: "I have known these towns and cities since I was a child, so I am passionate about making this work.

"There has to be a long-term sea change, but this needs to come from a discussion, which everybody must get involved with.

"These retail clinics will encourage retailers to talk to each other, discuss the problems affecting their town centres and high streets and work together to combat them."