The Guardian: "Store closures and surge in online shopping threaten nearly half a million jobs, says report by British Retail Consortium"

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"Nearly half a million shop workers, mostly female, are in danger of losing their jobs as a result of changes on the high street and the growth of online retailing.

The group, aged between 26 and 45, are identified as a “lost generation” in a survey conducted by the industry trade body the British Retail Consortium (BRC), published on Wednesday. The research suggests there is a gloomy outlook for the workers, many of whom are carers who need to work close to their family home, as they could find it hard to find alternative jobs.

"... Increasingly major retail chains are retreating from high street parades, opting instead to run fewer, larger stores that are a destination for shoppers, a trend that has contributed to the number of people employed in retail falling for the last seven years."