Newmark’s 2025 Vitality Rankings demonstrate the importance of large centres to the UK retail landscape. While many consumers remain loyal to their local high street and independent retailers, the draw of major cities and destination malls has come back to the fore.
With their critical mass of space and broad range of retail, F&B and leisure options, these locations are again winning high levels of footfall.
While footfall is important, there is also an increased focus on customer retention. New concepts (e.g. experiential retail and location-based entertainment) drive dwell time and repeat visitation, which results in higher spend per visit at a retail centre.
Customers are attracted by new and innovative concepts, and the wellness sector in particular has seen considerable recent growth. These concepts often combine customer experience with vital services and product sales, and are increasingly taking prime space on high streets and in shopping centres, enhancing the vitality of a retail centre.
Redeveloping unproductive or obsolete retail space for alternative uses is breathing life into less healthy centres, and many local authorities are partnering with private companies to source both investment and relevant skills. Removing unneeded retail on the edge of town centres, and replacing it with residential and offices, is likely to improve the performance of smaller retail centres in the future.
