Pandemic and shift to online shopping has hit demand for high-street shops, with fashion stores the worst affected
More than 8,700 British chain stores closed in the first half of 2021 as a combination of the coronavirus pandemic and the shift to online shopping continued to hit demand for bricks-and-mortar retail, new analysis has shown.
The number of chain shop closures far outpaced the number of new openings, meaning that overall numbers fell by 5,251, according to the Local Data Company, a research firm. Fashion shops were by far the worst-affected category.
