THERE can be few more high profile examples of today’s rapidly changing world than the disappearance from prime sites in Worcester of estate agents Andrew Grant and Knight Frank. Not since the demise of Woolworths in 2009 has the city street scene suffered such a hammer blow.

The effects of the internet and Coronavirus have combined to push companies into a new way of operating, which is not necessarily for the better. Buying or selling a property or renting new accommodation, is a pretty big deal in anyone’s life and the personal touch is very reassuring. Being able to talk to someone face to face rather than an anonymous voice at the end of a web site phone line can be really important. Yet that’s the way the commercial cookie seems to be crumbling.

Knight Frank, which occupied large premises directly opposite Worcester Cathedral, is a national concern, but Andrew Grant is one of our own. It was born in 1971, the schoolboy dream of a tousle haired young man who loved the hustle and bustle of the property world, and its distinctive red signage has been a familiar sight across the county. But sadly this has now gone from the offices in Foregate Street. Progress?