单选题 .  The worst recession since World War n took place on the high street, with one in ten stores left empty as wounded retailers went to the wall (破产). But as the recovery gets under way and empty shops find new tenants, the names over the doors are changing.
    Several foreign retailers have plans to set up shops in the UK this year, attracted by the scale of the market and a national obsession with shopping. After falling through much in 2009, retail spending starts to recover at the turn of the year and with so many shops empty, landlords are offering prospective tenants the best deals in years.
    Lorna Hall, retail editor at a trend forecaster center, says that even before the credit crunch (艰难局面) some big American groups were grading the UK. Stores such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Best Buy have been hit by the downturn on Main Street but have been determined to press ahead with expansion in the UK, if only to gain a foothold (立足点) for their large online businesses.1.  One of the consequences the recession caused is that ______.