Beaconsfield named ‘Britain’s leading shopping location’

Beaconsfield has been named as Britain’s leading shopping location according to new research from strategic retail property consultancy Harper Dennis Hobbs (HDH) which ranked the nation’s best performing retail centres.

The Buckinghamshire market town topped 1,000 retail centres compiled by HDH.

According to several factors, the HDH Vitality Ranking determines the health of high streets and shopping centres, including the change in residents’ movement, vacancy rates, and suitability to local consumers’ demands.

Beaconsfield is one of many smaller, accessible, commuter-belt towns, such as Henley-on-Thames and Tenterden, which have outperformed city centre destinations as consumers’ shopping habits have become very localised as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major city-centre destinations that dominated previous rankings fell down the list, with London shopping districts, including Westfield London, Knightsbridge, Chelsea, and the West End, seeing big falls as the capital noted significant footfall reductions. The same was true of Canary Wharf, which fell by more than 500 places, with most office workers continuing to work from home.

Andy Metherell, head of retail consultancy at HDH, said this years’ Vitality Ranking looks very different from previous years as the ‘retail health’ of high streets across the country has seen contrasting fortunes since the start of the pandemic.

He said: “The most vital retail centres currently provide services that are essential to people’s lives, such as grocers and pharmacies. These essential retailers have been able to trade throughout the strictest lockdowns, and consumers have not been willing or able to travel far to visit these stores. Shopping patterns have therefore changed significantly since the start of the pandemic, and consumers’ local high streets are benefitting at the expense of major destinations.”

The top 25 retail destinations dominated by commuter towns for London in the southeast of England, including Henley and Wimbledon village and several commuter towns in the rest of the country, dominate the top 50, including Yarm, Altrincham and Leamington Spa.

Dan Hildyard, head of UK retail at HDH, pointed out the impact of restricted consumer shopping habits on the relative success of high streets this year, with a shift to home working encouraging residents to reconnect with their local community.

He said: “Affluence is a factor here, and some consumers are protected from job losses seen in other industries.

“While city centre destinations have suffered from travel restrictions and the absence of office workers, the fundamental strengths of these locations remain, and we expect them to bounce back over the course of this year in line with restrictions being eased and consumer confidence in the economy and personal safety rising. These centres are also leisure and culture hot spots, and many will be looking forward to returning to when it is safe to do so.”

Simon Carson, head of leisure at HDH, added that the analysis shows the importance of hospitality venues to the health of high streets: “Though restaurants have had to close their doors for periods, many have started a takeaway service. These businesses and those existing cafes and takeaways that have remained open throughout are the primary draw of footfall to high streets. Centres with a high proportion of takeaways and cafés have proved to be more vital, particularly with consumers spending significantly more time in their local communities.

“On the other hand, the retail centres with a high proportion of large restaurants, bars and nightclubs have suffered from major restrictions to trading. Still, it is important to note that the key factors behind these areas’ success in previous years remain and we expect them to bounce back this year in line with restrictions easing and consumer confidence increasing.”

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