Birmingham rises in European retail rankings

Grand Central Birmingham

Birmingham has edged up in European rankings for the most popular location by retail spend, according to a new report.

The Harper Dennis Hobbs’ European Retail Rankings puts Birmingham in 13th place, having overtaken Moscow in the past year.

Its market size was £3.74bn, putting it third in the UK behind London’s West End and Glasgow.

The analysis shows the capital’s Oxford Street, Regent Street, Bond Street and surrounding area continues to lead Europe, and is now worth £9.14bn per year in sales.

It remains ahead of Paris, with £8.15bn and Madrid, with £5.13bn.

Harper Dennis Hobbs head of retail consultancy, Jonathan De Mello, said: “These rankings take into account both retail sales growth and new retail development, allowing retailers to comprehensively understand which centres are on the rise and plan accordingly.

“While the level of consumer spend coming to a city is a key factor in its success, other elements, such as out-of‐town developments, can significantly impact the performance of a centre.”

The UK has ten cities in the top 50 – more than any other European country. Manchester and Leeds were also in the European top 20, followed by Liverpool, Nottingham, Cardiff, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Despite this, Harper Dennis Hobbs said that discussion on any Brexit deal could have “a wide-ranging impact on European retail”, which could result in some retailers “limiting their exposure to the UK.”

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