Revealed: More than one in five Wolverhampton city centre shops are empty
More than a fifth of stores in Wolverhampton city centre are empty, damning figures have revealed.
A report from the Local Data Company shows a rise to 21.8 per cent from last year when 17 per cent of stores were catching cobwebs.
It puts the city among the worst in the country for empty shops – and has been worsened by the closure of BHS.
Although it fairs better than some of its Black Country neighbours.
Walsall is the worst in the area with 27.6 per cent of empty shops, ranking it sixth overall in the country. It is followed by West Bromwich with 24.7 per cent while Dudley has 23.1 per cent.
At the other end of the scale Stourbridge has a vacancy rate of 15.5 per cent and in Smethwick it is just 11.4 per cent.
In Staffordshire's major towns of Cannock and Stafford more than four in five shops are open for business with the respective vacancy rates of 10.9 per cent and 17.2 per cent.
Overall in the UK the proportion of empty shops has fallen from 13.3 per cent last year to 12.3per cent.
Matthew Hopkinson director at the LDC said: "Growth slackened significantly in the half year leading up to the referendum at the end of June, taking the steam out of the gentle improvement in vacancy that has improved by 2.3per cent since 2011.
"Since the end of June we have seen the vacancy rate in leisure outlets inch upwards. Whether this will be just a twitch in the statistics or the beginning of a long term reversal will become clear over the coming months. For example, the 23per cent net growth in restaurants since 2010 is unlikely to continue. Business, government and the media are all sniffing the air and scanning the horizon for any piece of news that might tell us what happens next."
City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor John Reynolds, said: "As a council, together with the Wolverhampton Business Improvement District (BID), we are working hard to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
"Major investment is happening in the city centre to boost the visitor and retail economy - and the future looks bright.
"The £35 million Mander Centre redevelopment will deliver Debenhams as a flagship store and a number of other big-name outlets like H&M over the next 12 months.
"Urban & Civic's £55 million plans for a mixed leisure-led scheme on Westside will transform the heart of the city.
"And businesses have shown confidence in Wolverhampton by quickly occupying the new i10 building – part of the £120 million Interchange transformation."
