YORK has made it on to a list of the top 20 most declining high streets in the UK.

A study by Ask Traders has analysed which of the UK’s high streets will be affected the most by the closure of national chain stores such as Debenhams in York city centre and Cath Kidston as well as the impact of Covid-19, and York came in at number eight with 20 store closures.

London topped the list followed by Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Nottingham. There was some good news for Selby however, as with just one big name closure, the town ranked among high streets which have seen the least impact in terms of a number of closures.

The analysis calculated the number of stores due to close as a result of businesses such as Debenhams, Monsoon Accessorize and Cath Kidston and also restaurant chains such as Carluccios closing their doors. The cities with the most closures were then deemed the most at risk.

Phil Pinder, chairman of York Retail Forum, said: “With 8.15 million visitors a year and shops being one of the main reasons people come to York, I’m a bit surprised that we are deemed ‘at risk’. We have lost names like Dorothy Perkins and Burtons from the city centre and we all make fewer trips to the high street, but retail will always change and it’s about making the experience different and exciting and York, I think, continues to do that, because not only is it a beautiful place, but it’s an exciting place to visit.

“I think we’re in a strong position compared with lots of places. As with everything, there’s always going to be casualties, we have already seen Carluccio’s close in recent weeks for example, but we have got a very healthy high street and an independent high street. We have got a great mix of shops and it does work well.”

Councillor Andrew Waller, City of York Council’s executive member for the economy and strategic planning, said: “I’m very sorry to hear of any job lost in York.

“These closures – some of which were announced before the lockdown – show that the pandemic has accelerated the changes which were already taking place on high streets.

“Large chains closing reflect wider pre-Covid trends. These decisions are taken hundreds of miles away and do not reflect the health of York’s high street or the strong foundations we have in place to protect jobs and support recovery.

“We have the second healthiest high street in the country, with high occupancy rates. We have acted quickly to inject over £110 million of grants and relief into our businesses to aid cash flow, particularly for the local independents which give York its special character.

“Before the outbreak, we established My City Centre to respond to the changes affecting the high street, and we’re reshaping this to meet the additional challenges presented by the pandemic.

“To drive our economic recovery, we continue to provide support to businesses to adapt and to reopen safely. We are also ready to help York’s workforce gain the skills and training they need to adapt to a changing job market or build a new career.”

Click here to visit the full study. AskTraders.com is a hub for stock market users to help them find a broker.