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Pharmacies, banks and pubs retreat from town and city centres knocked by failure of Wilko last yearAlmost 5,000 more chain stores were left empty last year – a rate of about 14 closures a day – as high streets were hurt by the failure of Wilko and the retreat of banks and pubs.Pharmacies were the biggest loser with 787 chain outlets disappearing – although...

GDP rises by 0.3% in November after October decline, with car leasing and video games fuelling bouncebackBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK economy returned to growth in November after a recovery in consumer spending driven by Black Friday sales, with shoppers hunting for bargains as the key Christmas shopping season got under way.Gross domestic product rose by 0.3% on the month, after a decline...