Merry Hill named UK's eighth best shopping centre

It is ranked ahead of Bullring, Birmingham, in GlobalData’s new Top 50 UK Shopping Centres Report 2018.

The report is the first of its kind to take into account the requirements of both tenants and shoppers.

Westfield London in Shepherd’s Bush tops the table, which was compiled using a combination of consumer and business research.

Westfield Stratford City, London, is in second place with Bluewater, Kent, in third position. Merry Hill owner intu has four in the top 10 with Trafford Centre, Manchester, in fourth, Lakeside, Essex, fifth and Metrocentre, Gateshead, sixth.

Joseph Robinson, retail consulting director at GlobalData, said: ‘‘The top three shopping centres are located in London and the South East, but geographically the top 20 rankings paint a picture of excellent shopping centre provision across the UK.’’

The report also offers an insight into the UK’s top shopping centre operators, with intu boasting the most centres in the top 20, with eight.

Its shopping centres account for a combined £4 billion in annual turnover, which is 36.6 per cent of all shopper spending in the top 20.

The top 50 account for £17.4bn in shopper spending per year – almost five per cent of total UK shopper spend on non-food retail, food service and leisure, reflecting the continued importance of these locations to UK retail.

Alongside traditional measures, such as turnover and footfall, the new rankings also take into account future potential, provision of retail, food service and leisure facilities and, crucially, the views of the shoppers who have visited them.

Mr Robinson said: ‘‘Our research found that, in spite of the diverse range of experiences offered by the modern shopping centre, retail is still the most important consideration for shoppers with the two most sought after retailers in shopping centres being Boots and Primark.

"In a sign of the times, shoppers were also increasingly likely to be attracted by the presence of value retailers, such as B&M and Primark, as well as premium options such as Selfridges and Ted Baker when choosing where to shop.’’

“Food and drink for 26.3 per cent of visitors and leisure facilities for 15.7 per cent are also key drivers of shopping centre visits and 80.6 per cent of all shoppers made use of food service and/or leisure facilities during their visit.

“When it comes to food and drink operators, while UK shopping centres have made great strides expanding their array over the past decade, the most sought after brands are Costa Coffee and McDonalds.’’