High street vacancy rate declines

Figures from the Local Data Company show that the number of empty shops and restaurants in Britain has fallen for the first time since 2018. The vacancy rate declined by 0.1% in H2 2021 compared to the first six months of the year to reach 14.4% of all shops. The retail vacancy rate hit a record high of 15.8% last year but has since decreased to 15.7%. While there has been a 0.3% reduction in the vacancy rate in shopping centres, the number of vacancies is still 19.1%. The leisure vacancy rate dropped from 11.3% to 11% over the six months — the biggest fall since records began in 2013.

The Times