Understanding vacancy rates across different retail locations is essential for property owners, developers and asset managers assessing risk, planning investment, or managing vacant stock. The picture across Great Britain has shifted significantly since the pandemic years, with a clear and widening gap between prime and secondary locations.
Key takeaways
- Retail parks now record the lowest vacancy rates in the UK, at 6.1% in 2025, down from 10.6% in early 2022
- Major Central London streets are at approximately 5% vacancy or below, with supply shortages expected to intensify in 2026
- The national vacancy rate stood at 13.5% in Q3 2025, and is forecast to approach pre-Covid levels of around 12.4% by end of 2026
- Shopping centres continue to record the highest vacancy rates of any retail location type, though prime centres are nearing full occupancy
- The market remains highly polarised: prime and well-located stock is tightening while secondary and tertiary locations continue to struggle
Vacancy Rates by location type
- Retail parks have consistently outperformed other retail formats. With a vacancy rate of 6.1% in 2025, they record the strongest results of any location type. Strong demand and limited new supply continue to push rents upward — retail parks delivered the strongest five-year rental growth of any retail format at 4.7%, according to CBRE’s UK Real Estate Market Outlook 2026. Parks with a broader mix of uses, including food and leisure, have performed best.
- Prime high streets and Central London are seeing vacancy rates at or below 5% in the most sought-after locations. Competition for space is intensifying, with retailers facing limited options in flagship locations. Brands previously anchored to prime pitches are beginning to look at the next tier down — but rental growth in those locations will lag until vacancy falls further.
- Shopping centres have seen the biggest improvement in prime rents over 2025, though their overall vacancy rate remains the highest of any format. Top-performing centres are approaching full occupancy, but the gap between these and secondary or regional centres remains wide. According to Knight Frank’s Retail Note, national vacancy rates are forecast to return to pre-Covid levels of around 12.4% by the end of 2026 — though this average masks significant variation between locations.
- Secondary and tertiary locations continue to face structural challenges. Where footfall has not recovered and anchor tenants have not returned, vacancy remains elevated. These locations are increasingly transitioning to alternative uses — healthcare, leisure, residential — rather than filling with traditional retail. This transition period creates extended vacancy, and with it, the security and management challenges that come with unoccupied commercial stock.
What increased vacancy means for property owners
Vacant commercial properties — whether units in a struggling shopping centre, empty retail park units, or high street shops between tenants — carry costs and risks that escalate the longer they remain unoccupied. Vandalism, fly-tipping, unauthorised access, water damage and insurance complications are among the most common issues property managers encounter.
Gideon Reichental, Vacant Property Security Consultant at Clearway, notes: “Commercial vacancy at scale creates a specific risk environment. A single empty unit in an otherwise occupied retail park presents a different challenge to a partially vacant shopping centre where footfall has dropped and entire wings are unoccupied. The risk profile needs to be assessed at a site level, not just a unit level.”
Managing vacant commercial property
Vacant property security screens and doors provide physical protection for entry points in empty units or closed retail spaces. Remote CCTV monitoring and vacant property alarm systems provide around-the-clock oversight without requiring permanent on-site presence. Regular vacant property inspections satisfy most insurer requirements and provide a documented record of condition.
For large-format vacant sites, car parks and open perimeter areas, concrete barrier hire and mobile CCTV towers offer scalable deterrence across wide footprints.
Contact Clearway to discuss a security assessment for a vacant commercial property.
Sources
- CBRE UK Real Estate Market Outlook 2026
- Knight Frank Retail Note, January 2026
- Savills Spotlight: Shopping Centre and High Street, Q4 2025
Gideon Reichental 
Vacant Property Security Consultant
Gideon is an experienced property specialist with almost ten years dedicated to the field of vacant property security and services. With a strong commitment to customer service and operational support, he has built extensive expertise in protecting vulnerable and unoccupied buildings through practical, risk-based security solutions.
His experience includes directly managing portfolios of more than 200 vacant properties, alongside senior management responsibility for wider portfolios exceeding 2,000 properties. This has given him a detailed understanding of the challenges involved in securing vacant assets, from preventing trespass, theft, vandalism, and arson to helping clients maintain compliance, reduce liability, and protect long-term property value.
Gideon has strong technical knowledge of the measures used to secure vacant properties, including steel security screens and doors, monitored alarm systems, CCTV, mobile response, site inspections, and temporary fire and life safety solutions. At Clearway, he supports the delivery of tailored protection strategies designed around the specific risk profile of each property, helping clients secure and manage unoccupied assets with confidence.
