|
"text": " retailers are calling for more government financial support after the \u00a32. 2bn loss-making covid lock-in in 2020 will cost the uk \u00a32. 2bn in lost sales from non-food sales.\n in high streets, a 24 percent fall in sales of non-food stores was the biggest record hit with a 2 percent decrease in footfall, according to data from the british retail and consortium.\n with the number of workers and visitors slumping, the number of empty units in the city of london increased by 47 percent last year, according to figures from analysts local data and company.\n helen and dickinson, the brc's chief executive, said it was essential that the chancellor used the spring budget to support businesses hardest hit by the pandemic, after 2020 proved to be the worst on record.\n retailers, pubs and other high street businesses struggling to pay rent will be protected from being thrown out of premises if they can't pay.\n dickinson said additional government financial assistance is needed to support the jobs of hundreds of thousands of retail workers.\n the brc's latest call for action came after business leaders including tesco, b&q and waterstones told the chancellor rishi and sunak that the business rate burden on shops risked thousands of high street jobs and that their online retailers should pay their fair share of tax.\n retailers and landlords said in a letter sent before next month's budget that the current system could not be sustained for long and that shops in the heart of the community were at risk without reform.\n the review is considering a variety of options including shifting the balance of online and physical shops by introducing a tax on web sales.\n", |
