The number of physical fashion and footwear stores fell across the UK in the past 12 months, with some regions seeing as much as a 5% decrease. In Scotland, the decline was indeed 5%, whereas areas such as the Greater London area showed a decline of 2%. The total number of retail units across the UK in high streets and shopping centres fell 3%, as well as the stores falling by 1% in retail parks. Director of the Local Data Company, Matthew Hopkins noted that “the overall results tell us that there has been a significant squeeze on consumer spend and confidence. Clothing retailers in particular, need to be more experimental in promoting their brands. It is a challenging market, and clothing is a key anchor for high streets”.