Shoppers spend £2.4 billion in Birmingham
RB News
Over £2.4 billion was spent in Birmingham’s retail district over the past 12 months, according to the CACI Retail Footprint 2010.
The figures, released yesterday (Wednesday 19 May), position Birmingham as the third most popular retail centre in the UK, narrowly missing out on second place to Glasgow. Birmingham maintained its ranking as the second most popular shopping destination in England behind London’s West End.
Alan Chatham, Chair of Retail Birmingham, said:
“Birmingham’s retail renaissance over the past decade has undoubtedly influenced the city’s reputation and desirability as a visitor destination. These latest CACI figures also highlight the huge economic impact that Birmingham’s retail sector brings to the local economy.
“For the past four years we have managed to secure second place in CACI’s top 50 Great British Centres, so what can we do to improve our ranking in the future and take Birmingham all the way to the number one spot? We need to ensure that Birmingham offers today’s shopper something new and exciting. With Retail Birmingham’s support for independent retailers, our development of a Design Strategy to dramatically improve the quality of Birmingham’s shopping streets and our involvement in the city’s Transport Vision work, we are working to ensure that Birmingham becomes the location of choice for visitors looking for a fully rounded retail and leisure experience.”
The report follows a recent economic study by The Retail Group in conjunction with the Local Data Company, which pointed to low vacancy rates in Birmingham city centre in comparison with other major centres. Birmingham stands at 10.5%, in contrast to 16.4% in Newcastle, 16% in Manchester and 14.4% in Bristol.
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