But welcome to 21st-century UK retail, where developers are working harder than ever to attract Britons who increasingly view a visit to a shopping centre as a family day out. In the UK, retailers have already had to adapt to the internet age because online firms have grown rapidly to account for around 17% of sales. “Clothing retailers are being buffeted hard on many fronts,” said Jeremy Willmont, head of restructuring and insolvency at Moore Stephens. Moore Stephens says the recent high-profile insolvencies of high-street names, such as BHS, highlight the pressure the sector is under. “Many bricks-and-mortar retailers are already being used as a showroom for customers’ online purchases,” said Gareth Jones, retail partner at Moore Stephens.

Source: The Guardian July 22, 2017 15:00 UTC