Today - 25 March - is Lady Day and is regarded as the most difficult 'quarter day' for the retail trade, following the lean post-Christmas months.

Retailers have traditionally paid their rent upfront on quarter days, which are connected to the Church calendar.

But the BRC says more landlords are now moving with the times and monthly rents are becoming the norm. It says shopkeepers should refuse demands for a quarterly payment.

A BRC spokesman said:

"There has been a real mood change among many commercial landlords. They know that ultimately, this long overdue reform will come.

"Now is the time for retailers to be forceful and call time on this ancient and costly practice."