Overview

• A Centre for Cities analysis of 62 major UK urban cores finds vacancy rates spanning from 7.4% in London to 19% in Newport.
• Researchers attribute the rise in empty shops to weak local spending power, excessive retail space per capita and spending leakage to neighbouring centres.
• Struggling cities such as Newport, Wigan and Middlesbrough have 2.5–2.9 shops per 1,000 residents, compared with around 1.2 per 1,000 in Brighton and Liverpool, where vacancies stay below 10%.
• Newport and Bradford each lose nearly 5% of high street spending to Cardiff and Leeds respectively, while Birkenhead forfeits 7.5% to Liverpool.
• The report urges the government to allocate £5 billion of its recently announced funding to remodel town centres with fewer shops, more office space and upgraded public realm.