Work in retail? Why your job could be at risk

One of the UK's largest employers, the retail sector, is facing the loss of up to 900,000 jobs and the closure of thousands of shops in the next decade.

Of the 270,000 shops in the UK today, up to 74,000 could shut, a report claims.

Sir Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and head of the John Lewis Partnership, said that although retailers supported the introduction of higher pay, there would be an effect on employment.

The retail sector employs three million people - a number that could fall by nearly a third in less than a decade.

Sir Charlie said that many shops would also close, as increasing costs and changes in the way millions of consumers shop take hold.

"People are not realising just how significantly the workplace is changing and I think that is dangerous," he warned.

"It means that people assume that somehow things are going to carry on as they are, when that's unlikely.

"Some of the places that will be affected will be some of the most economically fragile."

The BRC report says that the effects of the National Living Wage on employment "have been under-estimated".

In April, the National Living Wage will come into force at a rate of £7.20 an hour for the over-25s, replacing the present minimum wage of £6.70 per hour.