The number of unoccupied town centre shops has reached a record high, according to research by the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Findings show the national town centre vacancy rate for the UK reached almost 12% in April, a two-point increase on January and the highest rate since the BRC survey began in July 2011.
Increases in the number of empty retail properties have taken place across the UK, with regions such as the South West seeing the most significant rises.
Further figures from the BRC research show footfall in April was 1% higher than at the same time in 2012. Linked to more favourable weather conditions, this rise follows a 5.2% fall in footfall which took place in March.
High street footfall was 3.4% higher than in April last year, the strongest performance since December 2011.
BRC director general, Helen Dickinson, said: ‘With high streets topping the agenda for many now, there’s a real opportunity here to seize the moment and stem the tide of further closures.
‘Comparatively small steps to tackle deep-rooted issues such as parking, accessibility and rising business costs could make a huge difference to the health of town centres.
‘At least there’s some cheer on offer in the footfall figures, driven by a respectable showing for high streets, but this compares against a very rainy April 2012, when bad weather left a lot of shoppers running for cover.’