CACI, the data specialists focused on people and place, have revealed that Meadowhall is the most dominant super regional shopping centre in the UK. The ranking has used a number of catchment spending metrics to measure those that are best at attracting and retaining spend.
Taking first position, Meadowhall captures 18% of the total purse within its catchment, including online spend. The retail spend potential sits at nearly £1bn, given its inclusion of cities and towns like Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster, with Meadowhall comfortably better than any of the 13 UK super regional shopping centres at securing that available spend.
With 16 visits per year on average and an average transaction value of £156, Meadowhall has evidenced, strong customer retention. Located in close proximity to the M1, Meadowhall captures half of the 42m vehicles passing the destination each year, with unrivalled accessibility across the region.
The destination has continued demand from leading retailers, with Sephora due to open this summer, and JD recently announcing its plans to upsize, creating its second largest store nationally. Wider demand over the last 12 months includes the opening of Zara’s significantly upsized flagship, and the new 100,000sq ft Frasers ‘next-generation’ department store. It is this continued commitment that drives Meadowhall’s dominance, with 26 retailers investing £30m in their stores in the last 12 months, creating reasons to visit the destination time and time again.
Alex McCulloch, director at CACI, said: “Dominating the catchment is something every destination wants, and this data points to Meadowhall being a super regional in the UK that gives its customers exactly what they want, and that drives loyalty. Loyalty isn’t easy to build and maintain, but with strong leasing that aligns to the consumer, and a focus on elements like safety that make regional malls appealing for so many, these levels of dominance can be held for decades to come.”
Darren Pearce, centre director at Meadowhall, commented: “Meadowhall has earned this dominance through continued investment in the destination, a thorough understanding of the catchment and a collaborative leasing approach with leading national and international brands. Above and beyond providing best-in-class brands for our customers, we are committed to ensuring Meadowhall is a hub for the region, whether that be visiting our popular Oasis Food Court, or one of the many community events held within the destination.”
JD’s commitment to Meadowhall for its second largest store nationally follows an announcement from CACI revealing a significant spending increase in gyms and fitness focused brands, comparing December 2024 with the same month in 2023. Consumers demonstrated an increased appetite for health and wellness beyond January and February, with athleisure benefiting from strong year-on-year growth, both offline and online.
