Westfield London named top UK shopping centre

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Oct 19, 2018

Westfield has taken top honours in a ranking of the best shopping centres in the UK, with its malls in White City and Stratford coming in first and second, respectively.

Bluewater shopping centre in Kent ranked third in the ranking by GlobalData, which is the first of its kind to take into account the requirements of both tenants and shoppers to provide a comprehensive view on the UK shopping centre landscape.

Intu Trafford Centre and Intu Lakeside completed the top five.

“The top three shopping centres are located in London and the South East , but geographically the top 20 rankings paints a picture of excellent shopping centre provision across the UK,” said Joseph Robinson, retail consulting director at GlobalData, a data and analysis company.

Indeed, there was strong representation from the North West with Intu Trafford Centre, Manchester Arndale and Liverpool One; and the North East with Intu Metrocentre; Wales with St. Davids; Yorkshire with Meadowhall; the West Midlands with Intu Merry Hill; Scotland with Intu Braehead, East Kilbride and the Centre Livingston; and the South West with The Mall at Cribbs Causeway.

In addition to looking at traditional metrics such as footfall and revenue, the report also considered the views of the shoppers who have visited the shopping centres. It found that despite shopping centres increasingly spending on leisure facilities, the retail mix is still the top priority for visitors.

Over 70% of shoppers choose to go to a shopping centre because they like the line-up of brands, whilst 50.8% listed leisure facilities like cinemas and restaurants as a reason to visit.

‘‘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,” Robinson continued.

‘‘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.’’

The report also found that 32% of shoppers visit malls twice a month or more, with the proportion rising to almost half for those aged 18-24.