Springboard research director Diane Wehrle blamed the increase in vacancy rates in Wales on the recent closure key High Street names like HMV.

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Telecoms and finance account for over half the market, but the fastest growth is in health care, utilities, and transport and logistics, according to Sudip Saha of Springboard Research.

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It also had the largest increase in one month since December 2011, according to Diane Wehrle, research director at Springboard.

BBC: Shopper

Meanwhile, research by the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) and the Springboard consultancy suggests that fewer people visited the shops in January in comparison to last year.

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