Perfect storm of bad weather and business rates fuels retail crisis

Severe rain in February caused a 7.8% fall in the number of people visiting high streets

The crisis on Britain’s high streets showed no sign of easing during the storm-buffeted month of February, while new figures show the number of retail workers losing their jobs this year is approaching 20,000.

Severe rain last month caused a 7.8% fall in the number of people visiting high street stores in February, according to the retail research company Springboard, whereas there was only a 1.1% fall in the numbers at retail parks.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2TRTOw3