FT.Com: Britain’s vacant shop space increases by 45% The amount of empty shop space in Britain has jumped by 45 per cent in the past year, according to research by one of the country's top retail property agencies. The rise in voids will add to concerns about the consumer slowdown that began about a year ago. Void rates have increased from an average of 3.1 per cent in the late 1990s to 3.8 per cent last year. They have since risen to 5.5 per cent, according to Donaldsons property consultants. Donaldsons described this as a “relentless increase”.