There was a net decline of almost 10,000 chain stores in Great Britain over 2020.

Last year 7,655 shops opened in England, Scotland and Wales, while 17,532 were closed, according to PwC research compiled by the Local Data Company (LDC). However PwC says that the devastation caused by the COVID-19 crisis on the retail sector is likely to be worse as many other stores — which were temporarily closed during lockdowns but considered as open by researchers — are unlikely to return.

High streets were the victims of the largest amount of closures, with 4,690 closures, followed by shopping centres (1,791) and retail parks (453). PwC says that footfall levels were already holding up better than elsewhere before 2020 due to investment in leisure and by being anchored by essential retailers such as supermarkets. Retail parks are also considered sa