I think the problem with the empty shops and the high rental prices is that the landlords understand that for those kinds of businesses that have closed, there is no way back, regardless of rent levels: people just don't want to shop in shops anymore because they go Internet. If they reduce rents, they lose money because existing businesses that can't go Intenet will then expect to pay less too, and as there are fewer of them...
Personally, I think it, Internet buying, sucks. I hate spending without first seeing what I am buying.