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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Simon Goodley and agencies

Nearly 170,000 UK shop workers lost their jobs in 2024

United Kingdom Homebase The British Retail Consortium
Man puts a ladder in his car outside Homebase
Homebase was among 38 big retailers to go into administration in 2024. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

Almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs during another challenging year for the UK high street, data suggests.

The collapse of big chains such as Homebase and The Body Shop put thousands of jobs at risk and contributed to 169,395 retail jobs disappearing during 2024 – a 42% rise on 2023 levels.

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