By Kate Brown
According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard, store footfall declined by 3.3%. Whilst lower than the 6% fall in March, this has still been called an “unprecedented” 4.8% decline over the two-month period.
Springboard representative, Diane Wehrle, commented: “Not since the depths of recession in 2009 has footfall over March and April declined to such a degree”.
BBC chief, Helen Dickinson, said that a change in shopping habits and tough trading are contributing to the decline in store footfall.
Figures from the Local Data Company report the lowest number of store openings since 2010 in 2017 at just 4,083. Overall 5,855 outlets closed, meaning a total of 1,772 shops disappeared from the British high streets.
In recent weeks, the British high street has seen stores such as Toys R Us and Maplin announce their collapse into administration, as well as restaurant chains Byron and Prezzo, and fashion retailer New Look announce store closures. A strong online shopping environment has been found to contribute to the challenging market for high street brands.
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