Norwich's retail sector was one of the worst hit in the East of England during the pandemic, but is in a good position to recover post-Covid, a new report found.

Centre for Cities, an independent group aiming to improve the economies of the UK's largest cities, found that of the seven cities in this region, Norwich was the second hardest hit, losing 33 weeks of potential sales.

Cambridge saw the highest number of weeks of potential sales lost at 36 weeks, while Ipswich saw 31 weeks lost.

Across the nation, Norwich was also one of the hardest hit - placed 21th out of 62 cities when comparing the number of weeks of potential sales lost. Cambridge ranked 17th and Ipswich 26.

A combination of lockdowns and working from home resulted in many of the region's city centres seeing a fall in shoppers between when the pandemic first started and the onset of the Omicron.

The report also found cities that were economically stronger before the pandemic saw more shop closures over the last two years, compared to the cities that were already struggling before Covid.

It said this suggests government support during the pandemic has helped to stop the decline of economically weaker cities.

However, economically stronger cities were likely to see a quicker recovery when office workers and shoppers return to centres.

To give an idea of where city centres currently stand, the report looked at the number of city centre units vacant after June 2021. It found that Norwich had 16.1pc of units vacant, ranking it 36th out of 52 cities nation wide.

Cambridge had 11.9pc of units vacant, ranking it 47th, meanwhile Ipswich had 20.9pc of units vacant, ranking it 20th.

Andrew Carter, chief executive of Centre for Cities, said: “While the pandemic has been a tough time for all high streets it has levelled down more prosperous cities and towns in the East of England. Despite this, the strength of their wider local economies means they are well placed to recover quickly from the past two years.”

Norwich businesses remain positive

Chantry Place

Chantry Place is home to a number of well-known high street brands including H&M, Zara and House of Fraser. Although the shopping centre saw its number of visitors fall over the last two years, there is confidence about the year ahead.

Paul McCarthy, general manager at the centre, said: “While footfall as a whole is not quite back to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, sales are strong and higher for many retailers, which shows our strength and resilience as a visitor destination, and we had an extremely strong trading period at the end of last year with Black Friday and people shopping early for Christmas and maintaining strong sales and footfall throughout December.

"We are also in talks with some retailers to expand as they are performing so well. Our strength remains in the retailers and restaurants we have here with House of Fraser, Apple, Zara, Wagamamas and many other names attracting customers, as well as independents such as Lisa Angel and Langleys.”

St Giles Pantry

St Giles Pantry is located on St Giles Street and sells a wide range of products, all of which are produced within 40 miles of the store.

The shop opened during October 2020 by owner Alan Sabol. He said: "I opened my shop as it seemed like the perfect opportunity to celebrate everything our county had to offer.

"I adapted to the demand. When I first opened there was a lot of demand for bread and fresh vegetables. Now I've moved to more luxury items.

"We had good footfall. We've been busy and we've constantly had to evaluate what we offer.

"Although there are days when it is quieter, I find we're quiet lively on this street. We have established ourselves for offering quality.

"If anything we have become a staple within our community. I know about 90pc of our customers. We get people meeting here. We've become a community.

"Norwich is lucky to have a lot of independent businesses and Norfolk is attracting lots of people outside the area which is boosting the economy.

"This is the best thing I've ever done."

Analysis: How has Norwich city centre been impacted during the pandemic?

Strolling through Norwich city centre in May 2020, shoppers would have been confronted by closed and boarded up shops, with many still displaying Mother's Day promotions and early spring fashions.

Before the pandemic Norwich city centre was a magnet for shoppers, attracting visitors not just from across Norfolk, but throughout the East of England and from cities further-a-field such as London.

A combination of well-known high street chains, shopping centres and independent shops attracted shoppers throughout the year.

Meanwhile, during the working week, the city centre was home to office workers popping out for a quick lunchtime or post-work shopping trip.

The first lockdown saw shops closing overnight and office workers permanently working from home, which resulted in the thriving city centre turning into a ghost town overnight.

Many shops depended on government grants and loans to see them through the pandemic and, those that could, quickly adapted to online shopping to survive.

Despite this, some of the city’s most well-loved stores, including Debenhams and TopShop, did not survive the pandemic and their buildings remain empty – a reminded to what the high street has endured over the past two years.

The Centre for City report shows that Norwich was one of the hardest hit cities during the pandemic. It also found that since June 2021 the number of units that remain vacant in the city stands at 16.1pc - ranking it 36 out of 52 cities across the nation.

This shows that although Norwich has suffered during the pandemic, it is starting to make a recovery.

But challenges remain ahead for retailers.

Data from the Office of National Statistics release on Friday showed that the volume of monthly retail sales in Great Britain fell 3.7pc between November and December.

As well as this, with energy bills and inflation continue to rise, some experts are predicting that the looming cost of living crisis will make consumers reluctant to spend which could result in a weaker retail recovery.

Although difficulties lie ahead for retailers in the city centre business owners are positive about the year ahead.