Newmark Retail has released its annual Vitality Rankings and named an Oxfordshire retail centre among the best.

The Vitality Rankings are created by Newmark’s Consultancy & Analytics team each year and analyse factors such as retail unit vacancy rate, the change in vacancy rate, space being adapted for other uses, shopper spending per annum and footfall figures.

Essentially, where are the best UK shopping destinations? 

The rankings have been released since 2014 but had to change somewhat during the Covid pandemic.

See their full breakdown here.

As of 2024, the traditional driving factors have returned. This is due to consumers across the UK returning to their pre-COVID behaviours in 2024, with lockdowns thankfully now a distant memory.

Some residual impacts affect retail centres, with e-commerce levels higher than in 2019, and working from home more common amongst white-collar workers.

"The former especially means that there is now an oversupply of retail space across the UK, leading to increased vacancy rates and unproductive space," they explained.

"We have therefore used the amount of floorspace under redevelopment as an additional positive factor, to show locations that are taking proactive steps to improve or reduce the building stock."

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Oxford City Centre

In 2022, Oxford City Centre ranked 26th best in the UK. 

In 2024, it has leapt up the charts to 14th.

Queen Street, Cornmarket Street and Westgate Shopping Centre which has been extensively remodelled and reopened in Autumn 2017, offer the majority of Oxford’s main chain retailers.

Beyond the centre, shopping in Oxford spans from Summertown and Jericho in the north to Cowley Road and shopping centres in the east and south.