The friendly corner newsagent in the UK is closing at the rate of over one day, a victim of competition from supermarkets, crime and the economic downturn. In 2008, 510 newsagents closed, 6.25 percent more than in 2007, reports the BBC. The national federation of retail newsagents (NFRN), which counts 17,500 members, wants the government to help newsagents to install closed-circuit cameras (CCTV) and shutters to combat crime. It is also asking the government to make a distinction between “normal crime and retail crime”. There are some 30-35,000 newsagents in Britain, 75 percent of them owned by Asians. BBC, This is Nottingham
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News story, GenevaLunch, 10 September 2009.
Filed under: World news
Tags: Britain, CCTV, closing, competition, crime, economic downturn, newsagent, NFRN, retail crime, supermarkets, UK