The North East had the highest rate of empty shops in the UK at the end of last year despite seeing an increase in store openings.
Rising costs and high inflation have been hammering the high street, with many businesses curtailing investment and bringing down the shutters. But the number of vacant stores across the UK is now beginning to improve, according to figures released by the British Retail Consortium in conjunction with the Local Data Company.
National rates stood at 13.8% at the end of 2022, which was 0.1 percentage points better than the third quarter and 0.6 percentage points better than the same period last year. It also marked the fifth consecutive quarter of falling vacancy rates.
