More shops pull down shutters for good, Coventry and Warwickshire figures showAlmost as many stores closed across Coventry and Warwickshire during the first six months of this year than the whole of 2013.
New figures released this week show Coventry has already lost 19 retailers – only three less than the total number of store closures last year.
And Nuneaton has already lost more shops in the first half of this year than the previous year, with the figure already reaching 15 compared to 12 during 2013.
These latest findings also fail to take into account a number of high-profile store closures during August and September, including the national chain Phones 4u.
The new research from PricewaterhouseCoopers, which was compiled by the Local Data Company, revealed the gulf between openings and closures has widened – with closures remaining high alongside significantly fewer new stores.
In Coventry, the number of new shops opened in the first half of the year was 13 and only seven in Nuneaton, although some of the new openings have been big names.
In Rugby, the figures were level with the number of closures and new openings standing at eight this year compared to 16 losses and 12 gains during 2013.
Leamington is one of the region’s few high street winners with only two retailers lost from the town this year, compared to 27 last year.
The research has also revealed the biggest retailer losers are both men and women’s fashion shops, mobile phone retailers and video libraries.
But betting shops, coffee shops, discount stores, charity shops and American restaurants appear to be thriving.
Rob Hunt, of PwC in the Midlands, said: “I expect to see multiple retailers continue to approach openings in town centres very cautiously.
“This is likely to mean shorter-term leases and more temporary pop up type formats, particularly in secondary locations.”
In July, lingerie chain La Senza went into administration for the second time in just over two years, which resulted in the loss of shops across Coventry and Warwickshire.
Nuneaton also lost its Dorothy Perkins store in the town’s Market Place during the summer and 40 jobs were lost in Coventry when Homebase closed its big store in Walsgrave.