More than 1,900 stores disappeared from the region’s high streets
The pandemic has continued to batter the retail sector as more than 1,900 shops shutdown, new figures have revealed.
According to PwC research compiled by the Local Data Company (LDC), shop closures in the region decreased year on year by 7% in 2021.
1,916 shops closed their doors in the region last year, but when compared to Greater London and the South East which had 2,812 and 2,459 store closures respectively, the region appears to have weathered the storm of the pandemic slightly better.
While closures have declined, store openings have also seen a drop of 12%, with 932 opening in 2020, but only 811 in 2021.
Adam Waller, PwC’s Market Senior Partner for Manchester said: “With more people moving away from city centres such as Liverpool and Manchester in favour of smaller towns, and less people spending time in the city throughout the pandemic, retail businesses have had to respond, and we can see that happening through this research.
“With the rate of store closures slowing down in the North West, and consumer behaviour moving towards pre-pandemic patterns, we can expect the data to look more positive in the next few years.”
Nationally more than 10,000 chain outlets, including retail, hospitality, banks and gym firms, disappeared from Great Britain’s retail locations in 2021, with 7,160 shops opening compared to 17,219 closures, a net decline of 10,059.
