Consumers have sought out discount shops, which are largely in family hands in Europe.
Some 276 new shops opened last year, with discount stores, loan companies and betting shops the most common new premises.
Pawnbrokers, charity shops, bookmakers, coffee shops, discount and convenience stores and cheque cashing outlets bucked the trend.
The street was dotted with discount stores, souvenir shops and electronics kiosks, as well as a number of locations that stayed vacant for years.
Much of what is on sale can be bought at dollar stores, Halloween shops and other discount stores for next to nothing but placed within the Lady Gaga brand and you have instant luxury prices.
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At the time Ray-Bans were sold in camera shops, tobacconists, discount stores, just about anywhere.
Schlecker, a chain of discount chemists, recently shut down some shops and sacked the workers, but at the same time opened bigger ones with temporary staff at lower pay.
If you need a break from the crowds and the theme parks, float to nearby shops and restaurants to use your VIP discount book.
The two main elements had been the growth of discount stores such as Matalan and Peacocks, and also the growth of brand shops such as Gap and Next, which targeted specific parts of the market.
Getting a discount is also a sort of insurance policy against ending up with badly made or fake goods from Chinese shops.
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The government had already amended the legislation so that firms occupying shops or offices empty for at least a year could still apply for a 50% business rate discount for 12 months.
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