Retail

Described in the Lonely Planet guide to Britain as the ‘Knightsbridge of the North’, Leeds has consistently been ranked as one of the UK’s top five retail destinations.

Leeds has 2.3 million sq ft of retail space within five miles of shopping streets, including five indoor shopping centres, one of the country’s largest pedestrian shopping areas and a number of speciality shopping attractions such as the Corn Exchange and Victoria Quarter.

In the last decade £339 million has been invested in major retail and leisure developments in the city centre, further enhancing its excellent shopping and leisure facilities.

Recent investment and expansion has seen significant growth in this sector. Around 10,000 people are employed in retail in the city centre and another 7,500 in restaurants and hotels.

This includes The Light, a £100 million retail and leisure development on The Headrow, together with the refurbishment of major shopping centres and the restoration of the Corn Exchange’s distinctive 75 foot high oval roof.

Major retail development projects worth over £1.4 billion are in progress or proposed in Leeds.

The £650 million Trinity Leeds will see the redevelopment of over 1 million sq ft of prime retail in the city centre, scheduled for completion in 2012.

The proposed Eastgate Quarters, anchored by a 260,000 sq ft John Lewis store and a 196,500 sq ft Marks&Spencer, will create an additional 1.25 million sq ft of prime retail space. A £30 million refurbishment programme has been completed at The Core, the former Headrow Shopping Centre.

Leeds has consistently been ranked as one of the UK’s top five retail destinations.

Leeds is the regional shopping centre for Yorkshire and the Humber with an estimated 1.9 million people living within 30 minutes drive of the city and a total shopping catchment population of nearly 3.2 million people.

Harvey Nichols chose Leeds as the location for its first store outside London.

Leeds has one of the driest summer climates among major British cities, which is one of the key factors behind the success of its shopping, pavement cafes and outdoor events programme.

Kirkgate Market, a Grade I listed building dating from 1875, is the largest covered market in England.

The White Rose Centre is one of the largest out-of-town shopping centres in the region and has a footfall of 12 million shoppers per year.

The Leeds Retail Skills Academy at The Store, a Leeds City College facility in The Plaza Shopping Centre, is a founder member of the National Skills Academy for Retail and offers a range of programmes from level 1 NVQ to Foundation Degree alongside bespoke training.

Leeds Shopping Week is an annual celebration of the city’s diverse high street and independent retail offer with special events, fashion shows and lots of retail therapy.

[Last update 5/7/10]