Special report: Crunch means one in ten town shops will be empty

Jan 13 2009 by Emma Davison, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THE SHUTTERS COME DOWN ...

New shopping developments are planned in the hope of expanding the number of customers in the town, but the reality is that nearly one-tenth of the town’s existing shops are standing empty. EMMA DAVISON reports

HUDDERSFIELD faces a lasting legacy from the current credit crunch – dozens of empty shops in a town centre ravaged by the economic gloom.

As the crisis on the high street pushes store vacancy rates to record levels, it is predicted that as many as one in 10 shops will be standing empty by next month.

But there is hope in Huddersfield, with town centre officials and shopowners alike agreeing that the town centre needs a wider variety of shops.

The prediction comes after a savage Christmas season for the high street, which saw several big name businesses like Woolworths and Zavvi collapse.

Like many towns, Huddersfield has already had its share of shop closures as retailers feel the strain with shoppers continuing to keep a tighter grip on their purse strings.

A depressing number of shops in the town centre are closed, many for several months and others shut down in prominent locations.

Retailers fear that stores will continue to shut down if more isn’t done to attract shoppers into the town.

Walk through Huddersfield town centre and the sight of once-thriving shops standing empty is saddening.

On New Street and Market Street six shops are closed, including Yorkshire Book Clearance Outlet, Zavvi and women’s clothing store Offshoot.

Wander down further to the Pack Horse Centre and the situation is just as grim, with another six shops closed, including a calendar shop, a shoe shop and clothes store.

In one corner there are even four shops in a row closed, which makes the centre feel almost deserted.

In the busy Shambles, Your Home Stores is shut as is The Body Shop, which has been empty for months since the company relocated to the Kingsgate Centre.

Retailers in the town are doing all they can to weather the storm, including offering massive savings on their products. One has been slashing prices by up to 80%.