Cambridge leads UK retail vitality in Newmark 2025 rankings as pressure persists on high streets

Cambridge has been named the top UK retail hub in Newmark's 2025 retail Vitality Rankings, underscoring the strength of Britain's town centers even as the sector faces sustained cost pressures. The report points to Cambridge's compact, walkable core supported by an affluent resident base, a growing student population and a notably active night-time economy as key drivers of foot traffic and spend. Chelsea surged from 10th to second place, buoyed by its high-end and aspirational mix of shops, pubs and bars along the King’s Road and Sloane Square, with the Saatchi Gallery continuing to provide a cultural anchor. Kingston upon Thames sits in third, followed by Bath city centre, Bluewater shopping centre in Dartford, Wimbledon Village and Milton Keynes in the top tier. Knightsbridge in London, Leeds and Westfield Stratford City also rank in the top 10. The rankings note that smaller cities such as Bath, Brighton and Edinburgh are rising thanks to a generally affluent shopper base, while larger cities and major shopping centres recorded the biggest spikes in performance and footfall. The report also emphasizes that, despite a rebound in office attendance, hybrid working is helping retailers lift takings, with shoppers in larger cities or shopping centres making bigger trips and spending more than during routine top‑up shopping.

Newmark's analysis notes that Canary Wharf has not struggled to attract new retail tenants, with its steady pool of workers and passengers helping sustain catering and leisure offers that create destinations in their own right. London King's Cross and Canary Wharf were singled out for significant improvements in the retailer hub rankings, thanks to reliable transport links and resilient foot traffic that underpins both daily commerce and entertainment across the precincts.

The report underscores that the top tier remains led by a mix of university towns, luxury-oriented districts and major shopping centres, with London’s playing field expanding beyond the central retail belts. The findings also highlight a geographic shift: more top 50 hubs are now located in the Midlands and the North compared with 2024, reflecting renewed investment in places such as Birmingham and Glasgow and a broader palette of locations delivering strong sales and visibility for retailers.

Will Chamberlain, associate director of new business at Newmark, said retailers were focusing on prime, high‑footfall locations that deliver strong sales and visibility, while reducing store numbers in locations with sparse footfall. “Providing shoppers with memorable and personalised in‑store experiences is another key focus for retailers,” he added, noting that many are pursuing experiential formats and events to attract return visits. Chamberlain also noted that the most successful examples, such as Gloucester City Centre, show how public‑private partnerships can transform underperforming areas through targeted investment and placemaking.

"Reviving the UK’s high streets requires collaboration between government, local authorities, and private stakeholders," Chamberlain told the Daily Mail. He cited Gloucester City Centre’s Dock’s Area and King’s Quarter redevelopment as evidence of how cooperative investment can re-balance supply and create vibrant, multifunctional environments. Local authorities, he added, play a critical role in shaping these spaces to be safe, attractive, and conducive to retail and leisure. At a national level, reforming business rates is essential; in many cases, rates are now as high as rents, placing unsustainable pressure on occupiers and discouraging investment. "A more flexible tax system could better support the long-term vitality of retail centres across the UK."

Meanwhile, the broader retail and hospitality landscape faces ongoing headwinds. The sector’s costs have risen sharply, with the Chancellor’s Budget last year adding about £7 billion in higher costs for retailers and shops bracing for further tax moves in the upcoming Budget on 26 November. The Office for National Statistics reported 2.78 million retail jobs in June, down 97,000 from a year earlier, with nearly 400,000 retail jobs lost over the past decade. The British Retail Consortium warned that worse could be yet to come, while UK Hospitality said pubs, restaurants and other venues were also struggling. Major retailers such as Tesco, Morrisons and Currys have cut jobs in response to higher employer National Insurance, the National Minimum Wage, business rates and packaging taxes, and some sector players including fashion brands Quiz, Seraphine and Claire’s have collapsed in recent months. The job losses and cost pressures reinforce the broader context in which Newmark identifies pockets of vitality, while pointing to the importance of targeted investment, policy reform and placemaking as central to sustaining high streets across the country.

For policymakers and market participants, the takeaway from Newmark's 2025 Vitality Rankings is clear: some locations continue to defy the headwinds through strong local economies and effective place-making, while a wider set of centers face ongoing challenges that demand coordinated action among government, authorities and private stakeholders. The balance of investment, regulation and consumer confidence will shape which hubs emerge as durable leaders in Britain's evolving retail landscape.