Retail facts and figures

In 2008, Edinburgh regained its position as one of the top 20 retail destinations in the UK, being ranked 19th by retail consultants CACI
12% of businesses in Scotland are retailers, with 14,450 VAT-registered retail businesses operating out of 25,770 outlets
Edinburgh city centre accounts for more than a fifth of floor space in the wider city region for 'comparison goods' such as clothes, household, electrical and DIY, and generates 35% of the turnover
Just under 40,000 sq m of retail floor space has been approved for development across Edinburgh City Region, with most of it expected to be built and trading by 2008
Compared to Newcastle and Leeds, Edinburgh has more in-town floor space relative to the catchment area
Between 1999 and 2004, Edinburgh climbed from tenth to seventh place in the Focus Town Centres retailer requirements data retail rankings
Edinburgh was ranked fourth in the VENUESCORE 2005 Shopping centre rankings, which assesses centres according to their market positioning, anchor stores and fashion retailing.

Of interest...