Vacancy Rate
Vacancy rate—measuring the percentage of unoccupied retail space in shopping centres, high streets, and retail hubs—is a crucial barometer of economic health and consumer confidence in the UK jewellery market. Rising vacancies can signal shifting footfall patterns, changing consumer behaviour (e.g., moving to online), and increased competition for physical stores, all of which directly impact location and expansion strategies for jewellery businesses. Jewellery Focus offers trade‑focused analysis of vacancy‑rate trends, drawing on commercial real-estate data, regional comparisons, and forecasting. We explore causes (from macroeconomic pressure to changing demographics), implications for retailers and suppliers, and proactive strategies such as pop-up shows, concession models, and hybrid retail formats. Our coverage empowers jewellers, brand managers, developers, and suppliers to adapt retail strategy, sourcing decisions, and investment planning in response to vacancy‑driven shifts in the jewellery retail landscape.
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Nov- 2015 -17 NovemberEconomy
Retail parks perform well as retail footfall continues to fall
Retail footfall in the UK was down 0.2% in October compared with the same month last year, unchanged from the decline in September. That is according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard’s Footfall and Vacancies Monitor, which found the fall was slightly above the three-month average…
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9 NovemberRetailers
Britain’s shop vacancy rate falls to its lowest level since June 2010
The number of vacant shops in Britain stayed the same in October when compared with September, a month in which vacant shops fell to their lowest level since April 2010. That is according to the latest figures from the Local Data Company (LDC) which found that shop vacancy in October…
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Oct- 2015 -8 OctoberEconomy
Shop vacancy levels fall to five-year low
The number of vacant shops in Britain has fallen to its lowest since April 2010, according to new figures from the Local Data Company (LDC). In September, Britain’s shop vacancy levels fell to 12.9%. This was despite the leisure vacancy rate increasing from 8.13% in August to 8.16% in September…
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Sep- 2015 -3 SeptemberEconomy
Vacancy rates improve but long-term vacancy increases
Shop vacancy rates have improved in the first half of 2015 but the number of long-term vacant shops has increased by 24.4%. This is according to new figures from the Local Data Company (LDC) which found that the retail and leisure vacancy in the UK fell from 11.9% in the…
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Aug- 2015 -17 AugustEconomy
Footfall down 1.1% across the UK in July
Total UK retail footfall in July was 1.1% lower than the same time last year, though this still represented a marginal improvement on the 1.5% fall in June. Data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor showed footfall on the high street and in shopping…
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Jun- 2015 -5 JuneEconomy
Britain’s Shop vacancy remains at 13% in May
The shop vacancy rate in Britain remained at 13% in May for the third month running after falling in March. This is according to new figures released from the Local Data Company (LDC) which found that the overall retail and leisure shop vacancy rate increased marginally from 11.6% in April…
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May- 2015 -15 MayEconomy
Footfall dips slightly in April
Footfall in April was 0.8% lower than the same time last year, according to new figures released today by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). This is according to the BRC and Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor which found footfall in April was below the three-month growth average of -0.3%. High…
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8 MayEconomy
Britain’s shop vacancy remains at 13% in April
Britain’s shop vacancy rate has remained at 13% in April, a level which, before March, had not been seen since 2010. This is according to new figures released today from the Local Data Company (LDC) which found that the overall retail and leisure vacancy rate also remained the same as…
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Apr- 2015 -8 AprilEconomy
Shop vacancy rates fall back to 2010 levels
Shop vacancy rates in Britain have fallen back to levels not seen since 2010, according to new figures from the Local Data Company (LDC). Shop vacancy rates fell to 13% in March from 13.1% in February, while the overall retail and leisure vacancy rate also dropped in March to 11.6%,…
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Feb- 2015 -13 FebruaryEconomy
High Street footfall suffers against out-of-town shopping
Footfall on Britain’s high streets has declined yet further thanks to the rising popularity of out-of-town shopping complexes, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The BRC/Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor found that town centre shopping malls reported the largest decline in footfall, falling 2.8% compared with the same time…
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