Town centre vacancy rates edged back up to 14.6% in June 2012, despite analysts at the Local Data Company hoping that the number had peaked earlier this year.
The increase of 0.05% means that the UK shop vacancy rate is back at its highest recorded level in excess of 23,000, but LDC director Matthew Hopkinson encouraged retailers to look on the bright side. "June's rise in shop vacancy should not be considered as a negative change in light of being a mere 0.05%," he said.

"It shows stability in unstable times, but the national figure hides the regional and local variances which are significant and will be revealed in our next bi-annual shop vacancy report on September 4, 2012."

He added that "recent weak reports on the economy and retail sales figures show that the pressure remains on shops up and down the country."