Tattooists and fast food gaining ground as banks lose out
Tattoo and piercing studios, fast food restaurants, and hair and beauty services are gaining the most ground on British high streets, analysis from the BBC in conjunction with Ordnance Survey has shown.
With an increase in the number of establishments of 8.2% over the last two years, tattoo and piercing studios are the biggest winners since the pandemic. Department stores and were the biggest losers, seeing a drop in the amount of establishments of 13.4%.
The data, collected between March 2020 and March 2022, has helped analysts understand the impact of the pandemic on the high street. In that period, it was found that there were 9,300 fewer retail outlets nationwide.
There were 8.1% less banks on Britain’s high streets compared to the start of the pandemic. HSBC recently announced that it would be closing 114 branches as more customers do their banking digitally.
Cafés, and pubs & bars saw a small increase in the number of establishments, at 5.7% and 1.6% respectively. Nightclubs however saw a 9.4% fall, as an already struggling industry was thumped by social distancing rules.
The data suggests that high streets may be moving from traditional shopping spots to service-based areas instead, with consumers opting to shop online where they can.
These figures are revealed by analysis of 1.5 million records contained in the Ordnance Survey’s mapping data, a survey of businesses, facilities and services operating in Great Britain.