Stores shut down in 'Portas pilot' towns

Town centres which were awarded a 1.2 million pounds grant in an effort to spur retail growth have actually shrunken over the past five years. A survey of 12 government-funded 'Portas pilot' towns found that close to 1,000 stores had disappeared over the past five years, according to research carried out by LCD and commissioned by the BBC.

This 17 percent loss is equal to one store closing every 22 days. Research also found that the choice of stores also decreased, as the number of stores selling bigger items, such as apparel and electrical goods in all but three of the towns in the pilot. Vacancy rates in 10 out of the 12 town centres have also decline, as other business left units or stopped using them.

In total, the towns suffered a net loss of 969 retail units, according to LDC. "This is very common up and down the country. Because there are more empty shops in town centres, businesses from the fringes of these towns are relocating into the heart of town centres," said Matthew Hopkinson, LDC director, to the BBC. "This leaves more redundant space on the edge of town centres."