The UK has seen 27,000 retail job losses in the first six weeks 2021, according to figures by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR.)

The research also reveals that there have so far been 1,023 store closures this year.

Around 850 retail jobs have been cut every working day since the beginning of 2021.

Professor Joshua Bamfield of the CRR said that these losses represented just “the tip of the iceberg” without an extension of busines rates holidays and a delay to evictions by landlords.

Last year saw nearly 180,000 job losses in the sector, with the CRR predicting a further 200,000 cuts in the coming months.

In January the research body said that it expected this year to look much like 2020, “but worse.”

The implementation of COVID-19 tier restrictions and lockdowns across the UK over the past 12 months have played a significant role in increasing job cuts.

But the High Street has been in decline for several years, with the growth in online sales coming at the expense of brick-and-mortar stores.

The CRR said that the “retail crisis in jobs, businesses, stores and high streets has been coming for a long time.”

According to the retail research organisation, 'stop-start-stop' with lockdowns imposed at short notice through being moved from Tier 2 to Tier 4 has “brutally disadvantaged most non-food businesses.”

It added that online retailers “have generally done well,” but that a large proportion of retail trade is lost forever during lockdowns and is not recovered when stores are open again.

Share Story: