Plymouth is named as UK city with healthiest high street, new study finds

Plymouth has been ranked as the UK city with the healthiest high street, according to new research that looks beyond shop closures to measure how busy and active town and city centres really are.

The study, carried out by media agency Excite OOH, assessed high streets across the UK using a range of indicators, including business openings and closures, vacancy rates, weekend footfall, night-time activity and retail employment.

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Plymouth came out on top with an overall score of 61.19, ahead of cities including York, Edinburgh and Manchester.

According to the study, Plymouth does not lead the country in the number of new businesses opening, ranking 42nd for openings and 40th for closures. 

However, the city scored particularly strongly for how busy its high street is.

The report found that Plymouth ranks first in the UK for weekend footfall and second for night-time activity, suggesting strong use of the city centre outside normal weekday trading hours.

The study states that these figures show “people are out and about, spending and enjoying the high street”, even where business turnover is relatively average.

Plymouth’s retail vacancy rate was recorded at 11.4 per cent, placing it 17th nationally, while the number of retail jobs per population ranked 14th, indicating a relatively strong local workforce supporting the city’s shops.

The study notes that there is “no single factor” behind a healthy high street. Instead, it highlights a balance of occupied shops, regular footfall, evening use and a strong retail workforce.

“While some town and city centres continue to struggle, others are quietly bucking the trend,” the report says.

The research was based on data from the Office for National Statistics and Centre for Cities, using a weighted scoring model across six indicators. 

Cities were ranked for each measure, with stronger performance, such as lower vacancy and closure rates, scoring more highly.

The findings contrast with the long-running narrative of high street decline and suggest that activity levels and how people use city centres can be as important as raw business numbers.