Leeds high streets at risk as footfall falls
High Street footfall in Leeds fell by 1.7% in September 2025 compared to the same month the year before, according to data from BRC-SensormaticIQ by the British Retail Consortium.
High Street footfall in Leeds fell by 1.7% in September 2025 compared to the same month the year before, according to data from BRC-SensormaticIQ by the British Retail Consortium.
Leeds’ shops are already feeling the strain, with the city recording one of the highest store closure rates in the country - 620 shops have shut their doors for good since 2015, placing Leeds among the UK’s top ten towns for retail closures. Businesses planning further closures include Cinnabon, BrewDog and Gusto.
Shopkeepers warn that unless urgent action is taken, more closures could follow, threatening local jobs, choice, and the character of Leeds high streets.
Across the UK, high street footfall fell by 2.5% year on year, according to the BRC - underlining the broader trend of declining town centre visits and growing pressure on in-person retail.
The BRC is calling on the government to urgently back retail in the upcoming Autumn Budget and has warned that further tax increases - particularly through business rates could tip many businesses over the edge.
Retailers argue that the current system unfairly penalises high street shops, with the sector contributing over 20% of all business rates despite making up just 5% of the economy.
The result is a system that punishes businesses investing in communities, creating local jobs, and keeping high streets like Leeds’ vibrant. Without urgent reform, industry leaders fear more retailers will be forced to scale back, freeze investment - or close their doors entirely.
Without urgent reform, industry leaders warn that more closures, job losses, and declining high streets could follow - putting Leeds’ once-thriving retail scene at risk.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Retailers’ ability to invest in local communities and high streets, including places like Leeds, has been hampered by last year’s Budget, which added £5 billion in employment costs to the industry, in addition to a new packaging tax.
"For retailers to invest in shopping destinations that will entice shoppers back, the government-imposed cost burdens holding back that investment must be lifted.
"The upcoming Budget is the moment for the Chancellor to do just that – deliver Labour’s manifesto commitment of a meaningful reduction in business rates for the industry, and ensure no shop pays more in the process.”