'Worse than Swindon' City ranks 37th in healthy high street report

A MAJOR study of the health of Britain’s high streets makes sobering reading for business and city leaders in Bristol - it has ranked in a lowly 37th place, below Slough, Hull, Doncaster and even Swindon.

- Tristan CORK [e-mail]

Swindon was deemed to have a healthier 'high street' than Bristol when judged on factors including footfall, vacancy rate and new openings

The study by media agency Excite OOH looked at a huge range of numbers from the Centre for Cities and the Office for National Statistics, and ranked each city and town based on a range of different figures from how quickly new shops are opening, how often shops and businesses close, how many shops and premises are left empty and how long for, how busy they are in the evenings and at weekends, and what percentage of the overall population work in retail in each town and city.