London takes the top spot as the UKs best city to go Christmas shopping, according to a new study.
Some 10,000 people in the UK were asked by retail specialists shop4pop.com which British cities they believe offer the best Christmas shopping experiences in the country.
Responses ranged from major shopping cities like London and Manchester to much-loved local favourites like Edinburgh, Newcastle and Leeds.
Taking 58 per cent of the vote, the UK capital secured an unsurprising top spot as Britain’s favourite Christmas shopping city – with festive lights already adorning Europe’s busiest shopping street.
When it comes to where Brits prefer to do their Christmas shopping, it looks like age is more than just a number – as a huge 76 per cent of 18-24 year olds gave London their vote, versus just 47 per cent of 25-34 year olds.
Brits over the age of 65, however, don’t need to travel to the capital to find their ideal shopping break – with 55 per cent of over-65s declaring Manchester the ultimate Christmas shopping destination.
Outranking the likes of Liverpool, Cardiff and Belfast, Birmingham took bronze with 29 per cent of the overall vote – while 39 per cent of 55-64 year olds surveyed say the city offered some of the best retail therapy anywhere in Britain.
Local heroes
Edinburgh took 20 per cent of the overall vote – as a third of Scottish respondents cite their capital as one of the best Christmas shopping cities in the UK.
Two thirds (64 per cent) of North East voters helped stag and hen hotspot Newcastle to secure a landslide local victory – while 65 per cent of loyal Scots gave bohemian shopping haven Glasgow their vote.
Thanks to a strong show of support from Northerners, both Leeds (11.5 per cent) and Durham (10.5 per cent) also managed to creep into the UK’s top ten.
A break from the norm
Some respondents offered their own suggestions when it came to Britain’s best Christmas shopping breaks – with some more unique retail experiences making it onto the UK’s ‘nice list’ this year.
Home to an award-winning Christmas market, Bath earned a place on the list – while creative hub Bristol and Wales’s third largest city, Newport, also ranked.
As high street retailers unveil their seasonal window displays and shoppers across the UK commence the biggest shop of the year, it looks like some Brits are more than prepared to travel in search of the perfect gift.
Siobhan Scott, marketing executive at shop4pop.com, says, ‘Surprisingly, many consumers, particularly in the North, seem to favour their more local shopping cities.
‘Perhaps, with the rise of city centre pop-up shops, Christmas markets and independent stores, many customers are finding fulfilling shopping experiences both at home and further afield.’
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