16/02/2011 - Number of 'vacant shops rises'
The UK high street faces "the greatest challenge for survival in its history", with figures revealing a continuing rise in the number of boarded-up shops.
Data from the Local Data Company (LDC) showed that the proportion of vacant town centre shops jumped from 12% at the end of 2009 to 14.5% at the end of 2010.
Changes in the British retailing industry account for the rise, with experts predicting that some recession-hit high streets will never return to their old glorious days.
The vacancy rate in the north of England (16.5%) was much higher than the national average, compared to just 12.3% in southern regions.
Large retailers were found to have a higher vacancy rate than average at 16.5%, compared with smaller centres at around just 12%.
The report found that large centres in the North East, North West, East Midlands and West Midlands all have average vacancy rates of around 19%, while Yorkshire and the Humber are even higher at nearly 21%.
Rates for large centres in London, the South East, the East and the South West are all around 14% while Scotland has the lowest regional rate at 12.6%.
Smaller centres in the North West have the highest vacancy at over 17% followed by the North East at 15%.
Copyright © Press Association 2011
Related links
|
