Excessive road disaster deepens with 400 of Britain’s largest retailers susceptible to closure

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Your help makes all of the distinction. Learn extra A few of Britain’s largest retailers, together with supermarkets and department shops, are susceptible to closure if the federal government proceeds with plans to incorporate them in a better enterprise charges tax band, business leaders have warned.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) mentioned its newest evaluation steered that 400 large-format shops may very well be susceptible to shutting down, ought to they be subjected to the proposed enterprise charges surtax on premises with a rateable worth over £500,000.

The BRC mentioned these retailers, “like all of retail”, have been already beneath strain from hovering employment prices, excessive taxes, and rising charges payments, driving the closure of 1,000 such retailers during the last 5 years.

Regardless of the retail business accounting for simply 5 per cent of the economic system, it shoulders greater than 20 per cent of all enterprise charges payments, with massive shops paying round a 3rd of the overall invoice.

Given the small revenue margins that existed throughout retail – round two to 4 per cent for meals – a major rise in charges for giant shops would power these retailers to boost their costs, make use of fewer individuals, and even shut their doorways totally, the BRC warned.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/11/08/0564d24f9fce2c7b135f20d7c0c76f87Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzU3NjYwODQ4-2.57547016.jpg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/11/08/0564d24f9fce2c7b135f20d7c0c76f87Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzU3NjYwODQ4-2.57547016.jpg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/11/08/0564d24f9fce2c7b135f20d7c0c76f87Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzU3NjYwODQ4-2.57547016.jpg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="The Treasury is looking at changes to the current system of business rates" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

The Treasury is adjustments to the present system of enterprise charges (PA) The 4,000 massive shops performed a significant function within the economic system by using roughly one in three of the business’s three million staff and, as anchor tenants, attracted footfall to procuring and leisure areas, supporting cafes, pubs and smaller independents round them, it added.

It's estimated that if all 400 at-risk shops have been to shut, as much as 100,000 jobs may very well be misplaced and native councils’ enterprise charges receipts from retail would fall by “nicely over” £100 million a 12 months.

The BRC is looking on the chancellor to make use of the autumn finances to ship adjustments “with out merely shifting the associated fee onto bigger shops – which might be massively damaging to our excessive streets”.

It steered this may very well be executed with out price to the general public purse by eradicating these shops from the brand new greater enterprise charges tax band and barely rising the charges to be paid by the remaining massive properties like workplace blocks and different huge business buildings, the place enterprise charges have been a smaller share of prices and the knock-on affect on jobs and costs was decrease.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/07/22/880bf75ec4b0dc6f4e70799ba3d512a6Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzU3MzMxMDY5-2.81196293.jpg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/07/22/880bf75ec4b0dc6f4e70799ba3d512a6Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzU3MzMxMDY5-2.81196293.jpg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/07/22/880bf75ec4b0dc6f4e70799ba3d512a6Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzU3MzMxMDY5-2.81196293.jpg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="Chancellor Rachel Reeves" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

Chancellor Rachel Reeves (PA) BRC chief government Helen Dickinson mentioned: “Britain’s largest retailers are magnets, pulling individuals into excessive streets, procuring centres and retail parks, supporting 1000's of surrounding cafes, eating places and smaller and impartial retailers.

“After years of rising prices, far too many shops have disappeared – forsaking empty shells that after thrived on the coronary heart of our communities. 4 hundred extra massive shops might disappear if the Authorities forces them into its new greater tax band. This may imply as much as 100,000 jobs misplaced, emptier excessive streets, and fewer income for the Exchequer.

“The chancellor can again households, jobs and excessive streets this autumn, by excluding massive retailers from the brand new greater enterprise charges tax band.

“This may not price the Exchequer a penny, but would assist safe the way forward for 400 retail shops, and the communities they help, proper throughout the nation.

“However failure to behave dangers shuttering a whole lot extra shops, costing jobs, communities and the economic system way more in the long term.”

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/05/13/14969812325d7d626137ee7912599ea4Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzU3MTU4ODI2-2.79296704.jpg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/05/13/14969812325d7d626137ee7912599ea4Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzU3MTU4ODI2-2.79296704.jpg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/09/05/13/14969812325d7d626137ee7912599ea4Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzU3MTU4ODI2-2.79296704.jpg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="Bosses of major high street firms, such as John Lewis, met with Reeves last week" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

Bosses of main excessive road companies, corresponding to John Lewis, met with Reeves final week (PA) The BRC’s warning comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed plans to think about enterprise charges reforms, together with eradicating “cliff edges” for small companies.

The Treasury is adjustments to the present system of enterprise charges – the tax on UK enterprise properties – as a part of efforts to chop pink tape and enhance progress.

In an preliminary report into enterprise charges, the Treasury mentioned it will contemplate overhauling small enterprise charges reduction guidelines, which “can discourage” enlargement and funding.

It's understood that bosses of main excessive road companies, corresponding to John Lewis, met with the chancellor final week and inspired a shake-up of present enterprise charges guidelines.

Companies noticed enterprise charges payments improve earlier this 12 months after an authentic 75 per cent low cost on charges funds for hospitality, retail and leisure companies was decreased to 40 per cent in April.

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