One in eight shops have never reopened since the first lockdown began with 5,500 still closed as tourists and office workers stay home.
Analysis of retailers with more than five stores nationwide found out of 43,766 shops, 5,552 (12 per cent) have kept their doors shut since March, leaving nearly 900 acres of shopping space unused for eight months.
Around 2,000 shops closed permanently, while 36,209 managed to reopen after the first lockdown.
The study by PWC and the Local Data Company found shops in high streets and city centres have been hit hardest, as the chairman of Fenwick department stores declared footfall in London ‘dead’.
Last week alone, more than 9,500 High Street jobs were put at risk, with John Lewis announcing another 1,500 job cuts on top of the 1,300 it was already making.
High streets and town centres, including Worthing’s, pictured, have been hit hardest by lockdown since March, as more than 5,500 shops have remained closed over the past eight months
What are the rules for shops from Thursday?
Shops that can stay open:
- Food shops
- Supermarkets
- Garden centres
- Retailers providing essential goods and services
Shops that must shut (including but not limited to):
- Clothing
- Electronics stores
- Vehicle showrooms
- Travel agents
- Betting shops
- Auction houses
- Tailors
- Car washes
- Tobacco and vape shops
Lloyds Bank is to make 1,070 more staff redundant as well as the 865 it had previously announced.
Sainsbury’s confirmed it will cut 3,500 jobs across its Argos stores and its meat, fish and deli counters.
Meanwhile Clarks shoes put the jobs of all 4,000 of its store staff on notice as part of its fight for survival.
With England living under a second lockdown until December 2, ministers have been warned the retail industry faces losing £8billion as it loses out on vital Christmas sales.
Non-essential shops have been forced to close, with some supermarkets including Tesco, cordoning off parts of their stores that contain non-essential items.
Since last Thursday, clothing and electronic stores, among others, have been forced to close.
Food shops, supermarkets and garden centres have been able to stay open.
Tom Ironside, director of policy, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘[The Government] have decided that some sorts of retailers, supermarkets and pharmacies will be able to trade, and that’s right, but we think some of the restrictions are really quite arbitrary.
‘The timing of this lockdown is clearly extremely difficult for the retail industry. This is the golden quarter for many retailers, and to lose a month of sales during this period is extremely difficult.
‘We estimate that for those classified as non-essential retail forced to close, they’ll be losing £2billion pounds a week during this new lockdown.’
Last week Rishi Sunak announced the Government’s furlough scheme was being extended through to March, as he warned businesses face a ‘difficult,’ winter.
Sainsbury’s announced it was cutting 3,500 jobs last week, as John Lewis, Clarks and Lloyds Bank all declared potential job losses
Mr Sunak said last Thursday: ‘It’s clear the economic effects are much longer lasting for businesses than the duration of any restrictions, which is why we have decided to go further with our support.
‘Extending furlough and increasing our support for the self-employed will protect millions of jobs and give people and businesses the certainty they need over what will be a difficult winter.’
Zelf Hussain, retail restructuring partner at PWC, told The Times: ‘Businesses including pubs and bars, Italian restaurants, dentists, cinemas, social clubs and entertainment venues are particularly exposed to remaining mothballed, while hair and beauty, Asian restaurants, estate agents, mobile phone shops and off licences, DIY shops and vaping stores are among those businesses that bounced back quickest and reopened at a higher rate.’
A survey of bosses at Britain’s top retailers has found nearly half expect to cut more jobs in the next six months, with a third planning to shut stores.
A poll of 40 chairmen who together employ two million people found that 46 per cent would be cutting jobs.
Footfall in London is ‘dead,’ says Fenwick department stores’ chairman Steve Barber, as tourists stay out of the Capital and office workers remain at home
Steve Barber, chairman of Fenwick department stores, said: ‘Revenues have been considerably lower than last year. Footfall in London is dead.’
It comes as Marks and Spencer reported its first loss in its 94-year history as a listed company.
M&S, which has already cut 8,000 staff since March, has seen its large stores suffer while many of its smaller food halls are located in now-empty train stations and airports.
Retail is not the only sector affected by Covid-related job losses. Last week Rolls-Royce announced it was making 1,400 redundancies in the UK, while British Airways has laid off 8,200 workers.
How nearly 219,000 job losses have been revealed by major UK firms since lockdown began
Some 214,651 job losses have been announced by major British employers since the start of the coronavirus lockdown in March as follows:
- November 5 – Sainsbury’s and Argos – 3,500
- November 4 – John Lewis – 1,500
- November 4 – Lloyds – 1,070
- October 29 – Pizza Express – 1,300
- October 7 – Greene King – 800
- October 6 – Virgin Money – 400
- October 6 – Vp – 150
- October 5 – Cineworld – 5,500 (many cuts likely to be temporary)
- September 30 – TSB – 900
- September 30 – Shell – 9,000 worldwide
- September 29 – Ferguson – 1,200
- September 22 – Wetherspoon – 400 to 450
- September 22 – Whitbread – 6,000
- September 18 – Investec – 210
- September 15 – Waitrose – 124
- September 14 – London City Airport – 239
- September 9 – Lloyds Bank – 865
- September 9 – Pizza Hut – 450
- September 4 – Virgin Atlantic – 1,150
- September 3 – Costa – 1,650
- August 27 – Pret a Manger – 2,800 (includes 1,000 announced on July 6)
- August 26 – Gatwick Airport – 600
- August 25 – Co-operative Bank – 350
- August 20 – Alexander Dennis – 650
- August 18 – Bombardier – 95
- August 18 – Marks & Spencer – 7,000
- August 14 – Yo! Sushi – 250
- August 14 – River Island – 350
- August 12 – NatWest – 550
- August 11 – InterContinental Hotels – 650 worldwide
- August 11 – Debenhams – 2,500
- August 7 – Evening Standard – 115
- August 6 – Travelex – 1,300
- August 6 – Wetherspoons – 110 to 130
- August 5 – M&Co – 380
- August 5 – Arsenal FC – 55
- August 5 – WH Smith – 1,500
- August 4 – Dixons Carphone – 800
- August 4 – Pizza Express – 1,100 at risk
- August 3 – Hays Travel – up to 878
- August 3 – DW Sports – 1,700 at risk
- July 31 – Byron – 651
- July 30 – Pendragon – 1,800
- July 29 – Waterstones – unknown number of head office roles
- July 28 – Selfridges – 450
- July 27 – Oak Furnitureland – 163 at risk
- July 23 – Dyson – 600 in UK, 300 overseas
- July 22 – Mears – fewer than 200
- July 20 – Marks & Spencer – 950 at risk
- July 17 – Azzurri Group (owns Zizzi and Ask Italian) – up to 1,200
- July 16 – Genting – 1,642 at risk
- July 16 – Burberry – 150 in UK, 350 overseas
- July 15 – Banks Mining – 250 at risk
- July 15 – Buzz Bingo – 573 at risk
- July 14 – Vertu – 345 July 14 – DFS – up to 200 at risk
- July 9 – General Electric – 369
- July 9 – Eurostar – unknown number
- July 9 – Boots – 4,000
- July 9 – John Lewis – 1,300 at risk
- July 9 – Burger King – 1,600 at risk
- July 7 – Reach (owns Daily Mirror and Daily Express newspapers) – 550
- July 6 – Pret a Manger – 1,000 at risk
- July 2 – Casual Dining Group (owns Bella Italia and Cafe Rouge) – 1,909
- July 1 – SSP (owns Upper Crust) – 5,000 at risk
- July 1 – Arcadia (owns TopShop) – 500
- July 1 – Harrods – 700
- July 1 – Virgin Money – 300
- June 30 – Airbus – 1,700
- June 30 – TM Lewin – 600
- June 30 – Smiths Group – ‘some job losses’
- June 25 – Royal Mail – 2,000
- June 24 – Jet2 – 102
- June 24 – Swissport – 4,556
- June 24 – Crest Nicholson – 130
- June 23 – Shoe Zone – unknown number of jobs in head office
- June 19 – Aer Lingus – 500
- June 17 – HSBC – unknown number of jobs in UK, 35,000 worldwide
- June 15 – Jaguar Land Rover – 1,100
- June 15 – Travis Perkins – 2,500
- June 12 – Le Pain Quotidien – 200
- June 11 – Heathrow – at least 500
- June 11 – Bombardier – 600
- June 11 – Johnson Matthey – 2,500
- June 11 – Centrica – 5,000
- June 10 – Quiz – 93
- June 10 – The Restaurant Group (owns Frankie and Benny’s) – 3,000
- June 10 – Monsoon Accessorise – 545
- June 10 – Everest Windows – 188
- June 8 – BP – 10,000 worldwide
- June 8 – Mulberry – 375
- June 5 – Victoria’s Secret – 800 at risk
- June 5 – Bentley – 1,000
- June 4 – Aston Martin – 500
- June 4 – Lookers – 1,500
- May 29 – Belfast International Airport – 45
- May 28 – Debenhams (in second announcement) – ‘hundreds’ of jobs
- May 28 – EasyJet – 4,500 worldwide
- May 26 – McLaren – 1,200
- May 22 – Carluccio’s – 1,000
- May 21 – Clarks – 900
- May 20 – Rolls-Royce – 9,000
- May 20 – Bovis Homes – unknown number
- May 19 – Ovo Energy – 2,600
- May 19 – Antler – 164
- May 15 – JCB – 950 at risk
- May 13 – Tui – 8,000 worldwide
- May 12 – Carnival UK (owns P&O Cruises and Cunard) – 450
- May 11 – P&O Ferries – 1,100 worldwide
- May 5 – Virgin Atlantic – 3,150
- May 1 – Ryanair – 3,000 worldwide
- April 30 – Oasis Warehouse – 1,800
- April 29 – WPP – unknown number
- April 28 – British Airways – 12,000
- April 23 – Safran Seats – 400
- April 23 – Meggitt – 1,800 worldwide
- April 21 – Cath Kidston – 900
- April 17 – Debenhams – 422
- March 31 – Laura Ashley – 268
- March 30 – BrightHouse – 2,400 at risk
- March 27 – Chiquito – 1,500 at risk
