We counted the number of empty shops in Huddersfield town centre

At least 61 of Huddersfield’s shops are vacant – up from last year’s total of 52 – but Kirklees Council says spending and footfall are actually increasing.

On a sunny Thursday morning, this reporter took to the streets of Huddersfield to see how many retail units were vacant. After exploring the city, I counted 61 retail units that were clearly vacant or advertised for sale or for commercial lease.

Just over a sixth of the total are vacancies on New Street, with 11 empty units, including the old Wilko, sitting empty. That total will increase even more as retailer Freddie’s was having a closeout sale.

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Elsewhere, Byram and King Streets saw five vacancies each and four empty shops could be spotted on John William Street. Some of the city’s longer vacant sites include the former Red Casino and Cleopatra building on Northumberland Street and Turtle Bay on King Street.

Our figures from previous years show this is an increase on the last two years, with 53 gaps in 2023 and 52 in 2022.

The latest figures and those from last year could not take the Piazza area into account as the area is being sectioned off to make way for the multi-million pound Cultural Heart project. The Shambles area was accessible, however, with three empty commercial units, one of which was the former WHSmiths.

In terms of shopping centers in Huddersfield, the Kingsgate Center has five premises, one of which is the former House of Fraser which is currently being converted into Kingsgate Leisure. The scheme made headlines recently as it was revealed that the original opening date of September 2024 has been pushed back to Easter 2025.

The Packhorse Center is fuller compared to last year, with only one vacant spot to be seen, although some of the units are being used for events and pop-ups rather than retail. The site of the old Peter’s was now occupied by a women’s clothing store, Sophia Boutique.

While figures in the town were down after our count, the council says Huddersfield town center has seen more money spent following the pandemic.

David Shepherd, Strategic Director for Growth and Regeneration at Kirklees Council, said: “Despite the fact that people’s shopping habits have changed in recent years, not just locally but nationally. We were encouraged to see the figures for Huddersfield town center performing better for spending in the town center following the pandemic and we can see weekly figures showing high volumes of traffic in areas such as New Street, King Street and Cross Church Street – and we” Incredibly proud to see more independent shops making a home in Huddersfield.