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A retail reckoning for the UK's high streets

For consumers, the crisis is visible in shuttered shopfronts and empty units. For retailers, it is a battle against inflation, rising household bills and collapsing demand. The UK’s Federation of Small Businesses reports confidence among SMEs at historic lows, while its Centre for Retail Research (CRR) forecasts **,*** store closures in ****, a ** per cent increase on last year. At such a rate, job losses may soon surpass those seen during the pandemic.

Chains are retreating