The report, published this week by Javelin Group, reveals that Glasgow is still ahead of Manchester and Birmingham, which take second and third position respectively. Edinburgh came fourth and Norwich fifth, while London’s Oxford Street has re-entered the top 10, pushing Southampton out.
Although Oxford Street is only at number nine, London’s West End still leads the UK by some distance, but it is ranked according to several retail zones. In the London rankings, Oxford Street tops the list, followed by King’s Road, Covent Garden, Kensington and Knightsbridge.
“Many major developments are due to come on stream within the next few years, which will have a profound effect on the UK’s retail geography,” said Robin Bevan, director of Javelin Group’s locations practice.
“For example, Glasgow’s offer will face competition from Silverburn, which has just opened. Likewise, Westfield’s schemes at White City and Stratford are both likely to affect London’s West End, particularly Oxford Street.”
He said all city centres, not just Glasgow and London, will need to invest or risk falling behind.
“Developers must also keep a close eye on the retail sectors most susceptible to e-commerce, and seek to diversify away from these, with more space for food, leisure or other activities,” he added.
The survey ranked Bluewater in Kent as the top shopping centre, followed by Meadowhall in Sheffield and the Trafford Centre in Manchester. MetroCentre in Gateshead took fourth place and Lakeside in Essex came fifth.
Edinburgh’s Fort Kinnaird remains the top retail park in the UK, with Lakeside retail park and Castlepoint in Bournemouth taking second and third place respectively. Cheshire Oaks is top in the factory outlet rankings, followed by Great Western Outlet Village in Swindon and Designer Outlet in York.
Venuescore also ranks the most upscale locations and the most downmarket retail venues. The top five upscale venues are Bond Street, Bicester Village in Oxfordshire, Knightsbridge, King’s Road and Regent Street. The top five downmarket venues are Castleford, Leigh in Greater Manchester, Dudley, Accrington and Redcar in Cleveland.
Venuescore ranks the UK’s top 2,000 retail venues including town and shopping centres, retail parks and factory outlet centres.
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