Thin pickings

Marcus Leroux looks at the results from the key State of Retail 2008 report compiled for The Times.

The next time you stroll through your local town or city centre, with its independent shops, chain stores and coffee shops, take a good look. Some of them might not be around much longer. According to the wide-ranging study compiled for The Times, the wave of consolidation that has swept through industries such as banking is about to break over Britain’s high street