Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said “crippling business rates and the impact of covid lockdowns are a key part of decisions to close stores and think twice about new openings.”
Business rates are based on shop rental values and paid by tenants rather than property owners. Business rates are on course to rise by up to 30pc next April.
The BRC said vacancy rates had also climbed from 11.1pc in 2018 to 13.9pc in the second quarter of 2023, although they are down from a peak of 14.5pc in 2021.
