Shrewsbury's retail vitality in Top 5 among large towns

As well as ranking in the top 5 large towns, Shrewsbury was ranked number two in the West Midlands (second only to Birmingham) and 60th nationally in the Newmark Retail Vitality Rankings.

The rankings consider some 700 towns in Britain and rank them based on a range of metrics, including vacancy rate and the quality of the retail offering.

Councillor Alan Mosley, leader of Shrewsbury Town Council and member of the Big Town Plan Partnership, commented: “It is striking to see that Shrewsbury is second only to Birmingham in the West Midlands region, ahead of Leamington Spa, Lichfield and Stratford-upon-Avon.

“What’s also interesting is that the experts who produced this report highlight that town centres need to adapt by providing more than just retail to bring people in. The work of the Big Town Plan Partnership is central to that evolution of Shrewsbury, and we are looking forward to continuing to work together to make our town centre successful now and well into the future.”

In Newmark's report, Andy Metherell, head of consultancy and analytics at Retail UK and EMEA, said regeneration projects – such as the Smithfield Riverside scheme currently underway in Shrewsbury – were an important element of a town’s success.

He said: “The regeneration of retail centres and their effective management is going to be vital."

Read more about Shrewsbury's Big Town Plan