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Bognor has placed at number four out of 20 of the towns with the most high-street closures per 100,000 residents.

According to a data set released by Tradingpedia, the seaside town has seen five businesses leave the high-street just this year. This works out at an average of 7.31 closures per 100,000 people.

Meanwhile, Brighton has seen four businesses leave the high-street in 2023 – this works out at a much smaller average of 1.44 closures per 100,000 people due to the larger population, though it’s still devastating to see the stores go.

Two places in Sussex are among those which have faced the most high-street closures in the UK this year, according to new data. Photo: Google Street View

London has come out on top of the list of most high-street closures, with 83 closing its doors for good this year.

However, a spokesperson for Tradingpedia said that the small towns are the ones suffering most.

They said: “While 83 stores in London may now be gone, there are thousands of other stores within the city, while tens more are being opened at the same time.

"Small towns, however, are affected much more significantly because many have only a handful of businesses where customers can shop, and perhaps more importantly, where employees can work.

"And this is the reason many locals are concerned about the death of the high street.”

This year, residents in Littlehampton were outraged as New Look, the last clothes shop in the town centre, closed for good.

Worthing has seen shops come and go, but the town centre continues to thrive with strong demand for commercial premises.

Meanwhile, Bognor was one of the many locations across Sussex – in addition to Eastbourne, Crawley and Burgess Hill – which was hit by the Wilko closures in the same month the town said goodbye to its Natwest branch.

Chichester has also seen a spate of closures in the past few years, including independent businesses Present Surprise in South Street, and the West Street Deli, while bigger brands like The Ivy and Franco Manca have moved in.

What are your thoughts on the current state of the high street where you live? Get in touch at: [email protected].

Sussex locations appear on list with most high-street closures