There are betting shops, pound shops, nothing high class.”Glasgow’s retailers were among the hardest hit by another year of woe on Britain’s high streets in 2017 as retailers struggle to compete with the rising popularity of online shopping just as costs – such as business rates and the legal minimum wage – go up. Fashion retailers, shoe shops, travel agents and estate agents were the hardest hit, pushed out by increasingly convenient online alternatives. The pain has continued this year with some of the UK’s best known retailers shutting shops or closing down altogether. Barclaycard, the credit and debit card company, recorded a 14% rise in overall online spending last year while the amount spent in stores slipped 0.1%. “We also have the convergence of a number of cost pressures including the relentless march of business rates ... What would help is if the government would fix business rates.

Source: The Guardian April 13, 2018 16:50 UTC