Quarter of Walsall shops are empty

Damning statistics from the Local Data Company (LDC) show the town is sixth with 27.6 per cent of shops out of business. That has risen from 26.2 per cent last year when it was ranked ninth. It comes on the back of the town losing its iconic BHS store last month.

In reaction to the figures Walsall Council's business support chief Aftab Nawaz said: "Our regeneration teams are working hard to bring in big organisations to the town centre.

"There is excellent work going on at St. Matthew's Quarter. The high street is challenging.

"Many people shop online, we need to recognise that and keep up with the trend. I think the public wants a traditional high street the way it used to be there many years ago but that is not going to come back.

"Patterns are changing and we need to more innovative with the kind with brining in the type of shops people will come to." Councillor Nawaz recently submitted proposal for a large Mecca Bingo hall on Park Street.

He added: "We need to try and get a more diverse mix of businesses. We do not want a high street full of gambling outlets. My view is this will ruin the town centre.

"We need to look at bringing shops into Walsall to help regenerate the town."

Walsall has the highest proportion of empty shops in the Black Country. West Bromwich is almost as bad with 24.7 per cent of units empty, while Dudley has 23.1 per cent vacated units and Wolverhampton comes in at 21.8 per cent.

Stourbridge and Smethwick fair better with a vacancy rate of 15.5 per cent and 11.4 per cent respectively. In Staffordshire's major towns of Cannock and Stafford more than four in five shops are open for business with the respective vacancy rates of 10.9 per cent and 17.2 per cent. Overall in the UK the proportion of empty shops has fallen from 13.3 per cent last year to 12.3per cent.

Matthew Hopkinson director at the LDC said: "Growth slackened significantly in the half year leading up to the referendum at the end of June, taking the steam out of the gentle improvement in vacancy that has improved by 2.3per cent since 2011.

"Since the end of June we have seen the vacancy rate in leisure outlets inch upwards. Whether this will be just a twitch in the statistics or the beginning of a long term reversal will become clear over the coming months."