The Scots town named among best shopping destinations beating out major cities

New research has revealed the top shopping destinations in Scotland, with one town beating out some of the country’s biggest cities.

Whether you love high street chains or prefer small independent businesses, Scotland has no shortage of locations where you can shop till you drop. While everyone will have their own personal favourites, a new study by real estate firm Newmark has named the best retail areas across the country.

According to the ‘Newmark Retail Vitality Rankings’, which graded shopping hotspots based on factors such as the quality of retail on offer and vacancy rate, St Andrews comes in at number four for the whole of Scotland. The Fife town placed behind Edinburgh’s Princes Street in first, Glasgow City Centre in second, and the Silverburn Shopping Centre in third.

As reported by the Scottish Daily Express, St Andrews’ high placing means it tops major Scottish cities such as Aberdeen and Dundee when it comes to shopping. Despite having a population of around just 18,000 people, the coastal town is home to a surprising variety of stores.

Known across the world as ‘the Home of Golf’, the coastal town is renowned amongst locals for its vintage shops and bookstores. Although there are some classic high street shops to browse, St Andrews is mostly home to unique independent retailers that sell everything from handcrafted goods to luxury clothes.

Elsewhere, Edinburgh’s Old Town was also recognised on the Newmark Retail Vitality Rankings. The historic area of the capital was named among the top five ‘neighbourhood’ shopping destinations in the UK.

Meanwhile, Cambridge’s city centre clinched the overall top spot as the UK’s premier shopping area. London’s districts also featured heavily in the rankings, which assessed 1,000 shopping locations nationwide.

Retail expert Andy Metherell from Retail UK and EMEA commented: “2023 saw city and town centres continue to evolve to meet the needs of their local communities, unimpeded by the recent restrictions on trading or consumer movement.

“Some occupiers, such as banks or larger fashion chains, have cut back their store networks, administrations have removed some famous names from the high street, and popular brands who struggled to survive the pandemic have found new homes at Frasers, Next and Marks and Spencer.

“These closures can leave major gaps in retail centres, and have the biggest impact on the smaller locations where a popular brand will have occupied a relatively large and prominent unit. However, leisure and catering occupiers are now taking a larger proportion of space especially in the bigger destinations which help the centres to compete more effectively against the online offers and provide consumers with a wider-ranging experience.”

More information about the study and the methodology used can be found on the Newmark website.

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