9th August 2009, 16:04
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Tynedale
Age: 80
Posts: 3,698
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Quote:
About 12,000 independent shops and nearly 7,000 branches of major chains have closed so far this year in England and Wales, according to research.
Margate in Kent is the worst hit town, with a rate of 25%. Cities in the north of England like Leeds and Liverpool also have rates of more than 20%.
At 22%, Derby has the highest retail vacancy rate of any major urban centre, with Wolverhampton close behind.
The south of England generally fared better, with only Croydon and Exeter featuring among the 10 worst town centres with vacancy rates of 15.4% and 14.9% respectively.
In central London, 12.8% of shops are empty.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8177502.stm
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