One in ten shops empty in Huddersfield town centre, one in four in Dewsbury
Sep 9 2010 by Henryk Zientek, Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Empty shops
ONE in 10 shops in Huddersfield town centre shops lies empty, according to a survey today.
But the town is still among the best-performing locations in Yorkshire for shop vacancies.
The latest Shop Vacancy report by business information group The Local Data Company said that just over 10% of Huddersfield’s 422 shop units were empty by the end of June this year.
That compares with a vacancy rate for the town of 11.7% at the end of 2009.
The report said Huddersfield now had the lowest vacancy rate among large towns and cities in Yorkshire – those with 400 or more shop units.
Bradford was the worst-hit larger centre in Yorkshire – and the second-worst in the UK – with more than 24.6% of shops empty. Doncaster had a vacancy rate of 23.7% with Sheffield at 21.27% and Leeds at 19.48%.
Blackpool had the highest vacancy rate for larger centres in the UK at 28.9% followed by Bradford and Wolverhampton at 23.7%.
Among medium-sized centres – those with 100 to 399 shops – Dewsbury was third worst on the list for vacancy rates with 27.44% of shop units empty. That figure compares with 10.5% last December.
Only Altrincham and Margate had higher vacancy rates among medium-sized centres at 30.04% and 27.55% respectively.
The survey highlighted a growing north-south divide – with retail markets in many northern and Midlands towns and cities in a “weak state” compared with those in the south and south-west.
Only three southern centres – Watford, Bristol and Reading – feature among the 25 larger towns and cities with the highest vacancy rates.
Matthew Hopkinson, business development director at The Local Data Company, said: “Overall at the half-year, there are many more centres getting worse than are getting better.
“Of the 63 large centres analysed, 10 centres showed an improvement over the six months to the half-year and only eight of these showed a consistent improvement over the year.”
Among 400 medium-sized centres analysed, 73 improved over the last six months – 18% of the total – but only 25 had lower vacancy rates year-on-year.
Mr Hopkinson said: “Many large and medium-sized centres in the Midlands and north are yet to see a material improvement in vacancy.
“Given the importance of public sector employment in these areas, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that – in the face of a shrinking state – they are going to struggle to fill their high streets for some time.”
