Another store in Bradford city centre has announced it is to shut as a retail survey suggests a fifth of shops could be closed by 2018 as customer habits change.

Superdrug will close its branch in Broadway (above) next month.

The internet is being blamed on a possible 62,000 shops folding in the next five years, according to a study by the Centre for Retail Research.

The independent retail analysis group has estimated that about 316,000 workers would lose their jobs as a result of changing habits and large areas of Britain’s high streets would be turned into housing with online shopping accounting for 22 per cent of retail spending by 2018 compared to 12.7 per cent.

Professor Joshua Bamfield’s report, Retail Futures 2018, says the first closures will be pharmacies and health and beauty stores, followed by those selling music, books, cards, stationery and gifts, as well as DIY outlets.

Meanwhile another study by broadbandchoices.co.uk showed that more than a third of shoppers do most of their shopping online with the average monthly online spend now double what it was a decade ago.

Superdrug’s branch closure on Broadway joins Jessops, and Milletts, who both closed in recent months and coffee shop giant Starbucks, who pulled out of Waterstones at the Wool Exchange in February, in a move described as “disappointing” by the Chamber of Trade.

It means that out of the 16 shop units on Broadway, only six are now occupied.

A statement released by Superdrug yesterday said: “We can confirm that the store in Broadway, Bradford, is proposed to close on June 15.

“We are in consultation with our store colleagues, where we are looking at opportunities for colleagues to move to other roles within the group. We would like to thank all our customers in Bradford for their support. Our nearest store is located just 500 metres away in Darley Street.”

In Bradford city centre, including Bradford University and College campuses, and Little Germany, 130 of 758 shops were vacant, or 17.15 per cent, last September.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Bradford Council executive member for employment, skills and culture, said that the internet was changing the way people shopped but she called on the Government to reassess business rates to help struggling retaliers.

“Successful town and city centres of the future will be about more than just shops,” she said.

“Which is why in Bradford we have a policy of relocating our staff into buildings in the town centres wherever possible. We’re also investing in a new City Library in the heart of the city with the ambition of making the city centre not just a retail destination but a community and social hub as well.

“In Bradford we have taken steps to make sure we revitalise the city centre.

“We are unique in the country in having secured the City Centre Growth Zone which gives a business rate reduction to businesses locating in the city centre and taking on more staff. This will help enormously with the regeneration of the city.”

Catherine Riley, the manager of the Kirkgate Centre in the city centre, which attracts 13 million shoppers a year, said it had only one empty unit.

“We have not noticed a significant downturn and demand remains pretty high,” she said.

“I see a lot of entrepreneurs here looking to retail in the centre and we are addressing what people want.

“We also put ourselves at the heart of the community for those wanting a social experience as well.”

Val Summerscales, of Bradford Chamber of Trade, said the closure of any shop was disappointing.

“The internet is having an impact and will continue to have an impact,” she said. “And we have a generation growing up who have not had the opportunity to become shoppers.

“They may feel they buy everything on the internet, so town centres have to combat that by giving the personal touch and get information that you can’t always get from the internet.

“As far as the city centre, we have the City Centre Growth Zone which seems to have been relatively successful but obviously we want to see a lot more such as Westfield starting and that will be the catalyst.

“With regards to the study, we don’t know the way they calculated 62,000. There are so many factors that could change in the next five years.”

Mike Cartwright, of the Chamber of Commerce, said that the City Centre Growth Zone fund was created to try to specifically address the issue, which was a national problem not a local one.

“Things are being put in place and are changing slowly to correct the problem, such as using City Park for various events to attract more people in and to use the public realm as a selling point for potential investors,” he said. “But at the end of the day high street shopping is changing, everyone knows that.”