Despite a return to consumer spending in the UK, more shops in the country closed than new ones opened.
Nearly three times as many shops closed operations in 2014 compared to the year before.
Prominent among them were mobile phone shop Phones4U, lingerie chain La Senza and the pawnbroker Albemarle & Bond. The departure of these brands resulted in the closure of hundreds of shops.
Last year 5,839 shops closed while the number of new stores opening dipped to 4,852, which was a net loss of 987 in 2014, according to PwC and the Local Data Company.
Closures were most pronounced in the West Midlands where 153 shops shut.
Administrators forced the closure of around 362 Phones4U outlets, but some 40 other mobile phone shops fell victim to the advance of technology.
For the clothing sector, many shops found they could not compete with internet sales. Pawnbrokers saw a rise in demand when the recession hit, and with the economy improving, fewer people are taking recourse to them.
Video libraries continue to go out of fashion and close as more people use online options instead.
Tobacconist shops, on the other hand, rose in number possibly because of the growing interest in e-cigarettes.
According to PwC, the changes in customer preferences are a result of the digital revolution. The trends have been around for some while, but are becoming increasingly noticeable on the high street. PwC said we should expect the rate of closures to continue.
