City Desk

This has been a fatal year for the British high street with a new study showing that 1 in 10 shops have closed from January to September further underlining how devastating the recession has been to the business community in the UK.

The capital, has seen according to data from the Local Data Company, more than 7,500 shops close their doors over the period of January to September this year. Lobbying from the British Property Federation in a report by the Daily Telegraph, on the government is taking place to ease tax on empty shops.

Large retail chains like o2 and Argos have negotiated monthly rental schemes with the landlords of their properties and rent rises in line with the RPI index.