Retailers have been hammered this year by lockdowns, adding to existing headaches high street firms were facing, such as increasing competition online.
Data from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) compiled for the Evening Standard, calculates 158,064 UK retail jobs were lost between January and November 29.
These figures do not include Arcadia which continues to trade.
CRR’s figures look at a range of reasons for job losses this year, such as companies going into administration and closing stores via a Company Voluntary Arrangement restructuring model.
A number of firms have also reduced employee numbers as part of rationalisation programmes.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director Centre for Retail Research, said: “Retail was already in trouble before Covid, but the first lockdown was a hammer blow for the sector that deprived many viable businesses of revenue for three months.”
He added that the second lockdown has accentuated the problems of many retailers.
