A SPATE of shop closures in Beverley town centre could force a cut in high street rents to attract new businesses, say trade leaders.
A range of factors, including high rents, difficult trading conditions and businesses relocating, are behind a run of high-profile closures.
Viyella is the latest store about to shut as it will not be renewing its lease in Saturday Market.
It comes after Lakeland, also in the market place, launched a closing down sale as the national retailer went into administration last month.
Burton recently issued a statement announcing it would not be renewing its lease on its Toll Gavel premises in August.
Several independent businesses are also closing in the town centre.
Leading town centre trader Philip Guest said: "It is regrettable a number of businesses are closing.
"In some ways it is perhaps hard to understand given we have gone through the recession and Beverley has survived very well with high occupancy rates.
"In some cases I think the rents landlords are asking will have to come down if they want to attract tenants.
"But Beverley is always a sought-after location and there are businesses who are looking for bigger units."
Mr Guest said in some cases, Beverley has been a victim of general trading difficulties suffered by national retailers such as Lakeland.
He said: "In some cases it's a national problem, with Beverley stores part of a bigger picture. It's not Beverley particularly, it is companies themselves that are in trouble.
"Businesses have closed for different reasons but I certainly do think landlords may have to consider are they going to be able to rent these places at the kind of rents they are asking."
Mr Guest, whose family's jewellery business has traded in the town centre for 48 years, said some big retailers are being drawn to the new shopping development at the Flemingate regeneration site.
He said: "Although it has not been built yet, some of the bigger clothing retailers are planning to go in there.
"I think, nationally, there is a problem with building more shops. If we want to maintain a vibrant town centre, they must stop building more and more shops because we don't want to end up with an old town of charity shops and boarded-up buildings."
But Mr Guest insisted Beverley, where East Riding Council has just invested £2.6m in market place improvements, would always be an attractive shopping destination.
Fashion giant Arcadia is the latest to sign up to the £120m Flemingate development, where it will bring its Outfit brand, including Topshop and Topman, to the town. Other top retailers coming to the site include Debenhams and H&M.
Wilkinson, which has a store in Toll Gavel, has also signed up to the Flemingate site.
Chamber of Trade chairman Julian Minshall said Flemingate would be an added attraction for Beverley shoppers.
He said: "Flemingate, where you will also have the new college and a cinema, will attract a certain type of footfall.
"In the town centre you have historic Beverley, it's a balance.
"Where shops are becoming vacant it's an opportunity for new businesses, and there are new businesses coming in.
Alan Menzies, East Riding Council head of planning and economic regeneration, said: "There's always a natural churn and turnover of shops in the retail centre.
"I think there has been a higher level recently but I don't think it is a consistent trend.
In some cases a lease has come to an end, or there has been a rent review that has caused a business to decide not to continue.
"Different types of issues have come along at the same time but Beverley still has a vacancy level that is less than most other places.
"There are new businesses coming in to take up some of the shops. I am aware of discussions in several cases between owners and potential occupiers."
A spokesman for Viyella said: "The closure is because the lease is coming to an end.
"We are hoping to open back up in Beverley but we have not confirmed where that will be or whether it will be a joint or stand-alone store."
