Birmingham City Council announce strategy to improve retail scene
Birmingham City Council has revealed plans to make the city a destination of choice for shoppers and visitors alike.
With the Bullring and Mailbox shopping centres already proven successes, the capital of the West Midlands is looking to deliver an attractive retail location.
The strategy put forward focuses on two main areas: the delivery of a ‘high quality attractive environment with distinctive streets and places’ and the ‘creation of a unique and diverse offer.’
There are plans in place to expand leisure facilities within the town, as well as introducing more family entertainment, food and drink outlets and the revitalisation of key streets.
The Leader of Birmingham City Council, Sir Albert Bore, said: “Birmingham has a highly attractive and successful retail core that positions the city as one of the top destinations in the UK.”
Previously we looked at how Nottingham is looking to revive its retail facilities and reported that retailers were starting to benefit from government tax relief. These events support the growing feeling that the retail sector is beginning to recover across the country, with councils reacting to the changing demands of shoppers.
There a number of investments already underway within Birmingham, including the £150m Grand Central Shopping Centre, with its £30m flagship John Lewis store, £300m of investment in the Metro network and the headquarters of HS2.
This is something that Jonathan Cheetham, Chair of Retail Birmingham, certainly agrees with: “The launch of the strategy is a great statement for the city, providing a comprehensive vision for the future of the retail core.”
With Birmingham already one of the UK’s largest retail destinations, these plans signify a move towards to strengthening its position as a retail leader for the future.
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