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Shops in Wales faced worst June in 20 years, retail figures show

BBC Bridgend shopping centreBBC
Shopping centres have seen a 5.6% drop in footfall compared to June 2018

It has been the worst June in 20 years for shoppers coming through the doors in Wales' high streets and retail centres.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said there were 5% fewer shoppers compared to the same time last year.

Footfall on high streets is down 6.1% - and it is a drop of 5.6% for shopping centres.

Welsh shoppers were "grappling" with increasingly uncertain circumstances, said the BRC's Sara Jones.

"Whilst these concerns are seen across the UK, Wales seems to be especially hit by this," added the consortium's head of policy in Wales.

Out-of-town retail parks performed better but are still slightly down on June 2018 and worse than the UK average.

The overall picture was described as "very difficult".

The retail industry employs 130,000 people in Wales in 12,000 shops.

Costs have been rising, including wages and business rates.

McArthur Glen retail park
Retail park footfall fell 1% in Wales - worse than the UK average fall of 0.1%

There has been a 9% drop in the number of shops here in the last 10 years. Competition from online sales continues to be a challenge.

"The Welsh retail industry is working hard to adapt and renew itself as customer expectations change and technology revolutionises our sector," said Ms Jones.

"However, in such challenging circumstances, government needs to take action on costs and the economy to support our members."

She wants a reform of the "archaic" business rates system to be fairer and more responsive to economic conditions.

The Welsh Government's Finance Minister Rebecca Evans met the BRC policy head last month to discuss the retail picture in Wales.

The government said it had already pumped an additional £23.6m into this year's business rate relief scheme, which officials said supported 15,000 small and medium sized businesses in Wales.

"Our relief schemes are targeted to the needs of ratepayers in Wales and reflect the differences in the tax base between Wales and other countries in the UK," said Ms Evans.

"I am committed to working with the sector to improve and modernise our system to make sure that it is fit for the future."