Bluewater tops study of best UK shopping centres

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 23, 2023

Bluewater has been named the best among the 20 biggest UK shopping centres in a new study. Cinch (an online car-buying site) has analysed data in a slightly different way to some others. So rather than looking at, say, footfall or the store mix, it’s dug into the size of the shopping centre, parking fees, the number of stores and restaurants and the number of parking spaces, all of which are factors that will undeniably attract more consumers to the malls.

Bluewater in Kent scored the most points, followed by Meadowhall in Sheffield, Metrocentre in Gateshead, Lakeside in Essex, Manchester’s Trafford Centre, Merry Hill in Dudley, Westfield London, Westfield Stratford City, Braehead in Renfrew, and centre:mk in Milton Keynes.

Studies have shown that nearly 46 million UK adults are planning to buy Christmas presents this year, with an estimated £27.6 billion to be spent on gifts. So that means shopping malls will be key destinations.

So why is Bluewater highly rated? Sam Sheehan, motoring editor at Cinch, said: “Bluewater hosts an impressive 13,000 parking spaces, making it the country’s shopping centre with the most generous car park. No matter how packed it gets, you’ll always find a free parking spot.”

Meadowhall “also deserves a special mention, featuring a whopping 12,000 parking bays”. It’s followed closely by Lakeside with 11,857 spots. Another driver-friendly shopping centre is the Trafford Centre in Greater Manchester, with about 11,500 parking spaces.

And free parking is key too. Out of the 20 shopping centres analysed, seven offer free parking, including Bluewater, Meadowhall, Lakeside, Trafford Centre, Metrocentre, Merry Hill and Braehead.

But St James Quarter in Edinburgh charges £14 for a four-hour stay, making it the shopping centre with the most expensive car park on the list. Liverpool One and Manchester Arndale are also costly, charging customers £12.50 and £12.20, respectively.

Shopping centre size is also key and that’s what helped Westfield London get onto the list. It’s the largest shopping complex in the country, extending over 2.4 million sq ft. Meanwhile sister mall Westfield in Stratford covers about 1.9 million sq ft, making it the third-largest shopping centre in the UK, just behind Gateshead’s Metrocentre (roughly 2 million sq ft).

As for store and restaurant numbers, the Westfield centres in London come out on top with the Westfield London mall in Shepherd’s Bush hosting 391 and Stratford 301. Meadowhall and Bluewater both have 267.

St James Quarter in Edinburgh (94) and Cabot Circus in Bristol (110) are the shopping centres with the least variety in terms of shops and restaurants.