It’s fair to say Watford town centre has had a difficult summer.

The loss of two department stores in John Lewis and Debenhams was enough to make anyone wonder if the town can recover.

There were even doubts over whether intu Watford would survive after intu crashed into administration.

Retail and hospitality is still on a knife-edge – the Zizzi closure and Cineworld temporary closure in Watford are evidence of the times we are still in.

But the launch of the Next Home and Beauty store appears to have reignited some much-needed love and life in Watford’s town centre.

Estee Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder once said lipstick sales rise during recessions because of people looking for an affordable pick-me-up.

If that's true, this may be the right idea at the right time.

Shoppers certainly had great things to say about the new store and people on Facebook can’t seem to get enough of it.

Read more: New Next home & beauty store opens in Watford

It’s sleek and welcoming – just what the shopping centre was crying out for.

The Debenhams project in Watford was unfortunately a failure – even when it opened for the first time in 2018, it never seemed to get off the ground.

But it seems shoppers are loving the concept of the new Next store, and as long as intu Watford’s future is secure, which it appears to be at the moment, and Covid-19 rules allow us to continue to shop freely, Watford’s retail industry is hopefully heading in a much more positive direction.