West Midlands
This coverage examines retail developments across the West Midlands, focusing on store openings and closures, shopping centre activity, high street performance, and consumer behaviour shifts. Reporting includes updates on major hubs like Birmingham, Coventry, and Wolverhampton, as well as regeneration projects and local retail investment. The content is tailored for retail professionals overseeing regional estate strategy, operations, and market expansion.
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Apr- 2023 -28 AprilProperty
Retailers cautious to invest as retail vacancies plateau
The overall vacancy rate for retail units in the UK remained at 13.8% of Q1 in 2023, the same rate it was at for Q4 2022, according to data from the British Retail Consortium. However, this figure was 0.3 percentage points better when compared with the same period last year.…
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Mar- 2023 -14 MarchHigh Street
Severe weather sees footfall drop 7%
Footfall across UK retail destinations declined by -7% last week due to “severe” weather conditions, a far greater decline than in the week before last when footfall had dropped by a modest -1.1%, according to the latest figures from Springboard. Springboard revealed that high streets were by far the hardest…
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2 MarchHigh Street
Footfall falls by 5.3% following half-term boost
Footfall across UK retail destinations declined by -5.3% last week from the week before when it surged +7.6% thanks to school half-term. Over the three days from Monday to Wednesday footfall declined by an average of -12.6% in response to an average rise of +16.8% over the same three days…
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2 MarchHigh Street
High street chain stores closing at lowest rate since 2014
High street chain stores closed at the slowest rate since 2014 in the second half of 2022 according to data from accounting firm PWC. A total of 11,530 chain outlets, brands with five or more stores, exited GB high streets, shopping centres and retail parks, an average of 32 closures…
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Jan- 2023 -27 JanuaryHigh Street
Store Vacancies fall to 13.8% in Q4
The overall vacancy rate improved to 13.8% in the fourth quarter of 2022, which was 0.1 percentage points better than Q3 and 0.6 percentage points better than the same period last year, according to the latest BRC/LDC monitor. This was the fifth consecutive quarter of falling vacancy rates. All locations…
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Nov- 2022 -28 NovemberHigh Street
Primark to invest £140m in UK stores over next two years
Primark has unveiled plans to invest £140m over the next two years in its UK store estate. This will include the opening of at least four new stores in Bury St Edmunds, Craigavon, Salisbury and Teesside Park. The investment creates at least 850 new jobs and increases selling space by…
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8 NovemberSupermarkets
Asda opens first ‘Asda Express’ convenience store
Asda has opened its first standalone ‘Asda Express’ convenience store in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, creating 17 new jobs in the local community. A second Asda Express store will open at Tottenham Hale next month, followed by 30 sites next year, creating circa 500 new jobs. The launch…
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Oct- 2022 -28 OctoberHigh Street
Store vacancy rate falls but remains below pre-pandemic levels
In the third quarter of 2022, the overall GB vacancy rate decreased to 13.9%, a 0.1% rise from Q2 and 0.6% better than the same period last year, according to the latest monitor from the BRC and Local Data Company. This was the fourth consecutive quarter of falling vacancy rates.…
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25 OctoberHigh Street
Footfall falls 2.3% amid falling incomes and political uncertainty
Footfall across UK retail destinations declined by -2.3% last week from the week before, with drops in all three key destination types – -3.3% in high streets, -1.5% in retail parks and -0.7% in shopping centres, according to the latest data from Springboard. Springboard said this indicates “consumer nervousness” as…
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13 OctoberNews
Frasers eyes new Midlands global HQ
Sports Direct could quit its current Derbyshire headquarters amid plans from its parent company Frasers to create a new global HQ in the West Midlands, according to the BBC. The Shirebrook site was sold in 2019 but Sports Direct’s lease runs to 2034. The group, which also runs Flannels and…
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