Little Chef to slim down and axe 600 jobs

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The motorway service station chain Little Chef is shutting 67 outlets and axeing almost a third of its workforce. But Greggs the bakers are raising a toast, after seeing their Christmas profits soar.

Now is the winter of our discount tents

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The camping and outdoor chain Blacks has gone into administration - the latest retailer brought down by the economic downturn. Channel 4 News looks at which shops are facing the most pain.

The brands gone bad in 2011

Link to the article Channel 4

As the British high street emerges from 2011 a shadow of its former self, Channel 4 News looks at the brands gone bust, or hanging on by a thread, at the end of a difficult year.

It has been a tough year in the world of retail. The latest government-commissioned report found that a third of high streets are failing, or as retail consultant Mary "Queen of Shops" Portas called it, "degenerating". Its forecast for coming years is not much better either - by 2014, the government estimates that less than 40 per cent of retail spending will be on the high street.

A combination of the economic crisis in the eurozone, rising unemployment, and a cultural move towards shopping online rather than on foot, has added to retailers' problems, who are trying desperately to lure back consumers.

In homage to the British high street, Channel 4 News looks at the brands that have gone bust, as well as those struggling to hold on to their place in the market - and in the hearts and minds of consumers.