High street news and archive

Independent retailers call for government to “step up” to revitalise the UK's high streets

Independent retailers across the UK have revealed in a new survey that the government isn’t listening and doing enough to address challenges such as dwindling footfall, surging costs and decline in consumer confidence, and needs to be doing more to revitalise high street communities. The survey of more than 250 independent retail businesses...

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Topshop confirms return to high street via wholesale partners

The relaunch of Topshop and Topman (TSTM) is continuing to unravel. This time, it appears the brands’ current part owner, Asos, has confirmed a possible return to the high street. Yet, while many fans of the brands were hoping for a standalone store, it seems that a different approach is being taken first. In the e-tailer’s latest financial...

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Report: Business rates increases could put at risk over 600 high street units

A new report by High Streets UK, a lobbying group established by the New West End Company (NWEC), has said that the incoming increase to business rates could put over 600 trading units on flagship UK high streets at risk, with over 200 facing permanent closure. The data was collected from a survey of 115 high street businesses, which cited...

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High Streets UK proposes Business Rates recommendations encouraging urgent action

Lobbying group High Streets UK has released a series of policy recommendations in response to the government’s Business Rates Discussion Paper in which it calls for “urgent action to avoid unintended consequences such as store closures and job losses”. The “pro-growth partnership” used insights from its over 5,000 associated UK businesses to...

Retail

UK retailers show resilience despite December headwinds

Non-food retailers demonstrated unexpected strength in December 2024, despite overall retail sales declining 0.3 per cent month-on-month, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. The sector posted a 1.1 per cent increase in sales volumes, driven by a particularly strong performance in clothing, which saw a 4.4 per cent rise....

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NWEC establishes high street lobby group to address current challenges

The New West End Company (NWEC) has become a founding member of High Streets UK, a lobbying group that will set about addressing challenges currently facing UK high streets with a mission of unlocking new opportunities. The organisation, which oversees a large section of real estate in London’s West End, is joined by the likes of Liverpool BID...

Retail

UK retail footfall ends 2024 on subdued note

Retail footfall in the UK continued its downward trajectory in December, marking the second consecutive year of decline for brick-and-mortar retail traffic. Total footfall fell 2.2 percent year-on-year in December, though this represented an improvement from November's 4.5 percent decline, partly due to the shifted timing of Black Friday between...

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Retail

2024 retail woes: 170,000 jobs lost, worse predicted ahead

The UK retail sector has faced yet another challenging year, with nearly 170,000 shop workers losing their jobs in 2024, according to data published this week by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). The organisation reported that 13,479 stores shuttered operations between January and December, culminating in 169,395 job losses. The outlook for...

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Retail

Legacy retail brands stage comeback amid shifting consumer priorities

Traditional American retail brands are experiencing an unexpected renaissance in 2024, even as economic headwinds continue to reshape consumer behaviour. Market data from Placer.ai reveals a nuanced picture where heritage names are finding new relevance, particularly among millennial shoppers who once drove their initial success. Anthropologie...

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Retail braces for a rocky start to 2025

The British Retail Consortium’s latest BRC-Opinium Consumer Confidence Tracker paints a stark picture for the retail sector heading into 2025. While consumer sentiment around personal financial situations held steady at -3 in December, broader economic pessimism deepened significantly, with expectations about the state of the economy plunging to...

Retail

Clothing markets and stalls among fastest-growing industries

As British consumers navigate their Christmas shopping lists this season, new data suggests a shift in clothing retail dynamics across the UK's high streets. Analysis by payment solutions provider SumUp, drawing on Office for National Statistics data, reveals an unexpected transformation in consumer shopping patterns over the past five years....

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Industry insiders give their reaction to latest ONS figures

British clothing and footwear retailers suffered their sharpest year-on-year decline since January 2022, with sales falling 2.6 per cent in November, marking the second consecutive monthly decrease. The Office for National Statistics' (ONS) latest retail monitor, which concluded on November 23, captured only a partial picture of consumer...