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Northampton one of worst towns for vacant shops, says think tank

BBC Abington Street in Northampton.BBC
Northampton has one of the worst rates of vacant units according to a thinktank report

Northampton has one of the worst rates of vacant units in the UK, a think tank said.

According to a report by Centre for Cities, 24.5% of the town centre's units were empty after June 2021.

That figure made it the eighth worst in the country, with Newport in south Wales landing the top spot at 33%.

Andrew Carter, chief executive of Centre for Cities, said despite this, the areas were "well placed to recover quickly".

Boarded-up building in Northampton town centre which used to house BHS.
Northampton has lost many big name stores over the years including BHS, M&S and Debenhams

In towns and cities across the East of England, High Street businesses reported that they had lost more than half a year's takings on average.

Central Cambridge was the worst affected when it came to takings, losing 36 weeks of sales since March 2020, Centre For Cities said.

Businesses in Norwich, Peterborough and Ipswich were also among those hardest hit - losing 33, 32 and 31 weeks' worth of takings respectively.

In many places, the loss of sales was due to an increase in business closures, Centre for Cities said.

It added that there should be a campaign to encourage people back to town and city centres.

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