Mirror campaign welcomed by store chiefs

OUR High Street Fightback campaign, launched in the face of a wave of store and business closures, is being applauded across the retail industry.

Helen Dickinson, of the British Retail Consortium said: “This welcome campaign comes at a crucial time.” Meanwhile, research for the Mirror shows high street stores have been starved of £440million of savings over the past two years due to a shake-up of business rates, which capped rate cuts to limit hikes for other firms.

Industry expert Altus found Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Dunstable, Beds, has a rateable value of £65 per metre.

But the rate on Waterstones’ Bedford bookshop is nearly 1,100% more – at £765 per metre.

Ex-Wickes DIY boss Bill Grimsey told the Mirror: “This has been the worst six months in retail history.”