One in eight shops now empty

[super jumbe]

A surge in shopping centre vacancies means almost one in every eight British stores is now empty, according to a new survey.

Empty shops now account for 11.9% of retail space, after failures including Comet and Jessops knocked holes in the shopping hubs and out-of-town retail parks.




The percentage of UK shop vacancies in April worsened from 10.9% in January and was the highest rate since the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard survey began in 2011.

[WH Smith voted the worst shop on the high street]

It said high streets have been "vastly outperforming" malls and retail parks, boosted by a 5% increase in evening drinkers, diners and clubbers.

The retail sector has been battered by a wave of failures this year, with entertainment retailer HMV and camera chain Jessops both entering administration in January.

Electricals retailer Comet slumped into administration in November.

BRC director general Helen Dickinson said: "It's a major concern that the vacancy rate has reached a record high, driven by increases in almost every part of the UK, with some regions like the South West seeing a significant leap in empty shop numbers."

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/empty-stores-malls-retail-parks-101553669.html

[Meat-Head]

Nowt wrong with hw smiths. They sell viz.

[super jumbe]

2 issues our govt need to do, reduce shop rent and council tax, and we should able to park cars without getting booked, get rid of wardens do not need them any more.

[ajax2061]

government can not reduce private rents, but the councils can reduce rates for shops the shop where I work only has to pay 45 quid a year in rates due to reductions. But the high street I work on has about 8 empty shops now 3 years and there wasn't a single one empty. If no one got money to spend its the small shops that get hit first we just keep head above water as we provide repair services if we just had sales we would of closed 2-3 years ago.