\n Now, high streets have never looked so different and sparse, as dozens of businesses shut their doors for good every year.\n<\/p>\n
\n I grew up hearing stories of how the local town high street would host daily markets and how local businesses would be king of the streets, and it was a rare sight to see a chain store.\n<\/p>\n
\n Even as a teenager, when I would spend every Saturday morning in town with my friends, there was lots to enjoy despite the change to a larger chain-business offering.\n<\/p>\n
\n How do you think the high street can be saved? (Image: Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n
\n But now when I head back to my small home town, the high street has little to desire, with boarded-up storefronts and more vape shops than any town could need.\n<\/p>\n
\n This is something that many towns and cities across the UK can relate to.\n<\/p>\n
How Britain’s high streets became a shadow of their former selves<\/p>\n
\n Between 2024 and 2025, England and Wales lost 2,985 high street units according to Money.co.uk<\/a>, while Scotland lost more than 900 retailers in the same span.\n<\/p>\n \n Towns are now feeling the effect of the closures, with a decline in footfall having a second-hand impact on other local businesses.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThese closures don’t just affect individual businesses; they will inevitably reduce overall footfall and can weaken town centres over time, making recovery more difficult for local economies\u201d, Money.co.uk<\/a> business savings expert Joe Phelan says.\n<\/p>\n \n Breaking the domino effect of closures is not an easy task for trading businesses to face, as Joe adds that it is a \u201cdifficult cycle to break out of, where declines in footfall can make it harder to attract new investment, which in turn can further suppress activity in the town centre.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n UK High Street Shops That No Longer Exist\n<\/p>\n \n Much of the drop in footfall has been driven by the loss of once-major high street chains that failed to withstand changing times.\n<\/p>\n \n In October 2023, discount retailer Wilko closed all its 400 stores, ending its more than 90 years in business and, for many shoppers, marking a sad day in British retail history.\n<\/p>\n \n Now the only reminiscence of the once iconic store is found within The Range after it brought the Wilko brand, website, and intellectual property in 2023.\n<\/p>\n \n Wilko is not the only historic brand now lost from the high street; more recently, the likes of Russell & Bromley, Quiz, Claire’s and Radley have all entered administration.\n<\/p>\n \n Many have wondered how such historic and once thriving brands could suddenly take such a tragic end.\n<\/p>\n \n Molly Monks, insolvency practitioner and founder of Parker Walsh<\/a>, suggests that closures were long coming and are just a part of the evolution of high streets.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThe transformation of retail was already underway, but the cost-of-living crisis has dramatically accelerated the closure of stores that might otherwise have survived another few years\u201d, Molly explains.\n<\/p>\n \n \n Others believe the decline in retail is linked to the financial strain British households are feeling more than ever before.\n<\/p>\n \n As personal finance expert and co-founder of Raisin UK<\/a>, Kevin Mountford shares, \u201cThe challenges facing the British high street cannot be separated from the financial pressure households have experienced over the past five years.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cRising prices, higher energy bills and increased borrowing costs have made consumers more cautious and selective about where they spend.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n There is, however, no doubt that part of the high street decline is the huge rise and reliance on online shopping.\n<\/p>\n The online shopping boom that changed everything<\/p>\n \n The Covid-19 pandemic forced a change in action; no longer could we head into town for a browse; we had no choice but to shop online.\n<\/p>\n \n During 2020, online retail sales grew by 47%, compared to the previous year, according to Statista<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n By 2022, internet sales accounted for 26.6% of all retail sales, showing a decline, but it remained higher than pre-2020.\n<\/p>\n \n Jump to 2024 to 2025, when the world had recovered from the pandemic, the UK retail scene was still heavily online.\n<\/p>\n \n What Happens When a Company Goes Into Administration?\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n Between 2024 and 2025, online retail remained high and continued to grow at a steady pace, accounting for 28% of all retail sales and amounting to \u00a3127.4 billion, according to the Office for National Statistics.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n For many brick-and-mortar businesses, despite government support, the Covid-19 pandemic forced them to close as they struggled to face business and property rates.\n<\/p>\n The hidden property problem behind empty shops<\/p>\n \n Much of the British high street is made up of rented units, which are often left empty when businesses close, and landlords hold onto vacant shops.\n<\/p>\n \n But the big question is why would a landlord want to keep them empty?\n<\/p>\n \n Property<\/a> expert and ValuQ<\/a> founder Evern Ergin believes he may have the answer: \u201cThe high street’s deeper problem is a property problem, and it’s been hiding in plain sight.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cRents and business rates were set in a world before the internet, and they never really came down.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWorse, a lot of landlords would rather sit on an empty unit than accept a lower rent, because the moment they cut the rent, the value of their whole building gets revalued downwards.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cSo, you get boarded-up shops on streets where a smaller independent would happily trade, if only the rent made sense.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThe empty unit is often the rational choice for the owner and a disaster for the street.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The brands fighting for a second chance<\/p>\n \n Although some brands have lost the battle against the high street, some are willing to put up a fight to help save iconic British brands.\n<\/p>\n \n The 200-year-old pottery business Denby launched the #SaveDenby campaign following its administration news in March, with the aim that the government will provide more support to the British ceramics industry\n<\/p>\n \n Denby is not the only brand looking for a comeback, as budget-friendly beauty chain Bodycare recently confirmed its high street return.\n<\/p>\n \n Bodycare collapsed into administration in 2025, forcing 150 store closures and the loss of more than 1,000 jobs.\n<\/p>\n \n However, in the last few weeks, the chain has been slowly returning to the high street with the aim of reopening 25 stores in the UK by the end of 2026.\n<\/p>\n \n The success of Bodycare\u2019s return and Denby\u2019s fight has made some believe that the high street still has a fighting chance.\n<\/p>\n Could independents be the high street’s saviours?<\/p>\nCOVID-19 increased store closures. (Image: Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n