One in three shops up for rent in Britain’s high street – research

One in three shops are up for rent in Britain’s high street, with retailers blaming out-of-town supermarkets, online shopping, expensive parking and high business rates for the development, a new research has shown.

The worst hit area is North West England with a vacancy rate of 16.9 per cent, a 0.4 percent rise from last year. Hartlepool and Stockport have the worst vacancy rate, with 27.3 and 27.2 percent, respectively.

In contrast, London’s vacancy is placed at just 7.9 per cent, further underlining the severity of the North-South wealth divide.