We often hear about the decline of the British High Street but some areas are thriving and new data has ranked the high streets, town centers and shopping areas that are the UK’s most vibrant
Many high streets in Britain are in a sorry state, with competition from online retailers and shoppers tightening their belts leading to empty shopfronts and shuttered businesses in town centers up and down the country.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Some town centers are thriving and these vibrant areas are being celebrated thanks to new data collected in Newmark’s latest retail Vitality Rankings for 2025.
The university city of Cambridge topped the list, ranked as the UK’s best place for shops in 2025 as its affluent residents, student population and night-time economy helped the city hang on to the top spot as most thriving retail hub in Britain.
In second place, Chelsea in London was boosted up the rankings from 10th last time, thanks to its “aspirational” mix of shops, pubs and bars including high end districts like Sloane Square.
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Meanwhile another London area, Kingston upon Thames came in third while Bath city centre won fourth place followed by Bluewater shopping centre in Dartford, Wimbledon Village and Milton Keynes.
Rounding out the top then were Knightsbridge in London, Leeds, and Westfield Stratford City. Other areas such as small cities Bath, Brighton and Edinburgh have continued to make their way up the rankings, researchers said, thanks to the wealthy customer base in those areas.
But the biggest increases in footfall this year came for larger cities and dedicated shopping centers saw the biggest increase in performance on the rankings this year.
Newmark added that despite a rise in the number of people going back to the office, hybrid working was still helping retailers boost their takings.
Shoppers, particularly those visiting larger cities or shopping centres, were going on bigger shopping trips and spending more, rather than doing top-up shops or simply browsing, the group said.
However not all fortunes were rising, some areas saw a downturn. Cobham in Surrey came in 21st place, having slid from second in the rankings a year ago. Oxford city centre fell from 14th to 20th place, while Harrogate fell from 17th to 25th place.
Will Chamberlain, associate director of new business at Newmark, said retailers were reducing the number of stores in smaller locations with lower footfall, to focus their efforts on “prime high-footfall locations that deliver strong sales and maximise visibility”.
Chamberlain added that providing shoppers with memorable and personalised in-store experiences is another key focus for retailers intent on driving sales.
Full list of top 25 retail centres
- Cambridge City Centre
- Chelsea
- Kingston upon Thames
- Bath City Centre
- Bluewater
- Wimbledon Village
- Milton Keynes City Centre
- Knightsbridge
- Leeds City Centre
- Westfield Stratford City
- Liverpool City Centre
- Manchester City Centre
- Richmond
- Brighton City Centre
- Edinburgh City Centre
- Kensington
- Trafford Centre
- Berkhamsted
- St Albans
- Oxford City Centre
- Cobham
- Marlborough
- Westfield London
- Reigate
- Harrogate