Exploring Structural Change in the Distribution of Physical Retail in England and Wales

Recent research increasingly suggests that the decline of physical retail is better understood as a process of structural transformation than as a simple cyclical downturn or a short-term pandemic shock. This research examines that change through a multi-scalar spatial analysis of physical retail in England and Wales between 2014 and 2024. The results show a sequence of expansion, disruption, rebound, and rebalancing, together with persistently uneven spatial patterns. Retail activity remained concentrated in major metropolitan cores, while clustering weakened over time and most variation in the closure-to- opening ratio was concentrated at the local scale.