The high street “Armageddon” that has seen almost 20,000 stores close since 2015 and 93,000 jobs lost last year will continue unless business rates are cut, the head of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned.
Speaking as Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, prepared to make his Spring Statement on Wednesday, Helen Dickinson warned that the planned £200m business rate rise will further devastate the high street.
Last month was the worst February for the retail industry in five years, with footfall down two per cent year on year. It was the biggest fall since 2013, the 15th consecutive month of decline, according to the BRC.
