Chain stores disappeared from North East high streets at a rate of more than two a day as the coronavirus pandemic devastated the retail sector.
New figures from PwC and the Local Data Company show that 748 shops shut last year and only 333 opened, meaning there was a decline of 415.
The rate of closure is more than four times faster than that seen five years ago, and though the rate of decline in the North East was not as bad as some other regions, Newcastle was signalled out as having been particularly hard hit.
Major chains such as Debenhams and Top Shop went out of business during the pandemic, while John Lewis and House of Fraser have both warned in recent week that they are likely to close more sites.
The rate of closure was seen most starkly in London - a reversal of recent trends - while regions including the South East and North West also fared badly, though smaller towns fared better as more people worked from home and shopped in their local areas.
Joel Smith, PwC consumer markets lead for the North East, said: “The full extent will be revealed in the coming months as many of the CVAs and administrations in the early part of 2021 still haven’t been captured, including department stores, fashion retailers and hospitality operators that will leave big holes in city centre locations.
"Retail and leisure operators must take action to ensure they are in the right places, so they’re not left surrounded by empty units and shopfronts.
“However, there will be big opportunities for growth into the gaps that are emerging. After the global financial crisis we saw growth of discounters and foodservice chains that replaced exiting retailers.”
Most Read
In the North East, retail parks saw the smallest number of net closures of any location (five), compared to 92 in shopping centres and 188 on the high street.
Betting shops, fashion retailers, pubs and bars, travel agents, electrical shops, banks and financial services, chemists and restaurants were most affected.
The decline in town and city centres - which was a concern before the pandemic but has been accelerated in the last 12 months - has inspired a £50m plan to revitalise Newcastle city centre.
Lucy Stainton, head of retail and strategic partnerships at The Local Data Company said: “With the restrictions in place during each of the three national lockdowns, only around 17% of the market was classed as ‘essential’ and thereby permitted to trade.
“However, the damage to footfall in some city centre locations and particularly in London meant that a number of chains opted to temporarily shutter their stores irrespective of their ‘essential’ status. The question now becomes – have we seen the worst of the damage?
"These numbers only include store closures we know to be permanent and when Government support schemes end, we expect a further increase in store closures before the picture starts to improve.”