More jobs set to go as pain ‘continues’ for high street

BRITAIN’S struggling retailers axed nearly 150,000 jobs in 2018, and experts are predicting fresh pain in 2019, research for the Press Association shows.

End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research show that 148,132 jobs have been wiped out as almost 20,000 shops and restaurants closed their doors.

Professor Joshua Bamfield, of the Centre for Retail Research, said: “While Parliament is obsessed with Brexit, business rates and low growth are killing the high street.

“We feel that 2019 is going to be a repeat of these dire figures unless or until the government takes action to provide a level playing field for both online retailers and the high street.”

Real estate adviser Altus Group said rising business rates will also add pressure on the high street, forcing firms to pay an extra £127.88m on 50,000 retail premises.

Robert Hayton, head of UK business rates at Altus Group, said: “I envisage an intensification of action taken by businesses to reduce not only the extent of their estates but those rental costs too ahead of the critical April 1 2019 assessment date which will then determine business rates liabilities from 2021.”

Several retailers including Asda, House of Fraser and Evans Cycles are already expected to cut jobs in 2019.

The news comes amid dire warnings over poor November trading, raising fears a sub-par Christmas could push more chains into distress.