The UK's worst town for high street closures as 460 shops shut

British high streets are collapsing every day, with waves of store closures happening at a rapid pace. Supermarkets, fashion retailers, and high street banks are all suffering the consequences that have come from rising costs and a change in consumer habits.

But now, according to research by barcodestore.co.uk, one town in the North West is the worst when it comes to store closures, with residents witnessing the shutting down of hundreds of stores in the last 10 years. The barcode company looked at various areas in the UK and compared the number of store closures to their populations to come up with a list of the worst 10.

Ellesmere, a port town in Wirral with a population of just over 60,000, has seen a huge 460 stores close between 2015 and 2025, The Sun reports.

However, the town centre is currently going through a major revamp in hopes of regenerating the town. As part of the multi-million-pound project, Cheshire West and Chester Council is investing £8 million to transform the town's market.

The market work includes a new building facade, photovoltaic solar panels on the roof, new toilets, seating, improved layout and public Wi-Fi, and a new flexible events space. The refurbishment is expected to be completed in autumn 2026.

New travel routes and "low-carbon housing" are also part of the wider £13 million government-funded project.

Councillor Nathan Pardoe, intermin deputy leader and cabinet member for Inclusive Economy, Regeneration and Digital Transformation, said: "I am delighted that we've reached this milestone for the transformation of Ellesmere Port town centre.

"It's the biggest investment in the town centre in decades, made possible by Cheshire West and Chester Council. It will create a new market, new active travel routes and get sites ready for quality new homes for local people."

Other areas that made up the list included major cities such as Birmingham and London. Norwich and Torquay in Devon completed the worst three, with 580 and 540 stores closing in each area, respectively.

Top 10 worst places for retail closures since 2015:

Ellesmere Port

Norwich

Torquay, Devon

Blackpool

Warrington

Bristol

Poole

Birmingham

Leeds

London