DERBY has claimed its highest ever ranking of 31st in a national table listing the UK’s key shopping destinations.

According to CACI, in 2010-1 more than £707 million was spent in the city’s shops – compared to £660 million in 2009-10.

Derby’s rise up the table in recent years has been largely down to the opening of the Westfield Derby shopping centre in 2007.

Recent high-profile lettings at Westfield include TGI Friday’s, Subway, Pandora, Duck and Cover and Lipsy.

Mr Forkin said: “This can only help keep Derby at the forefront of retailers’ minds when they’re looking to bring new brands to the region.”

Janine Bone, Centre Manager at Westfield Derby, said: “We’re thrilled that Derby has risen up the rankings.

“Footfall at Westfield Derby has remained strong with more than 25 million visitors coming to the centre every year since we opened.
“This trend has continued this year with footfall particularly strong during the school holidays.“

Rebranded as Derby’s Georgian business district, the dozens of firms that operate from Vernon Gate and Vernon Street are hoping to create a recognisable image.

Businesses from Vernon Gate and Vernon Street are clubbing together to promote the area, including a focus on its history.
Part of the idea is to play a role in the wider marketing of Derby as a destination to do business and to fit with other area initiatives like the Cathedral Quarter and St Peter’s Quarter.

Chartered surveyor Peter Milner, who represents Vernon Gate Management, said: “Vernon Gate provides the perfect city centre location for any business.

“It was clear we needed to promote this unique historical conservation area and generate awareness of the broad mix of businesses located here.”

John Forkin, Managing Director of Marketing Derby, said: “It’s fantastic that businesses are working together to develop a strong identity for this area which has always been a vibrant business district.“

Derby’s Westfield shopping centre has been voted the top retail destination in the East Midlands. The site was ranked 11th in the UK in a national survey.

The site was ranked ahead of 28 other shopping centres in the region in a survey carried out by Trevor Wood Associates.
Westfield Derby beat competitors including Highcross in Leicester, which was ranked 17th, and Nottingham’s retail sites Victoria (27th) and Broadmarsh (89th) in The Definitive Guide to Shopping Centres survey.
The mall attracts about 25 million shoppers each year.
John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said: “This is fantastic news for Derby and proof that the city is considered to be a premier league retail destination.
“Since Westfield opened we have seen Derby attract an additional nine million shoppers spending an extra £250m each year.”
Westfield also ranked ahead of Birmingham’s Bullring, which was placed 14th.

High end supermarket chain Waitrose is eyeing up locations in Derby for a store, which could potentially create hundreds of jobs.

The company has confirmed that the city is high on its list of targets for a supermarket and that it is just waiting for a suitable site to become available.

A spokesman for the company said: “We would love to open a Waitrose in Derby. The city is very much on our radar.
“We are seriously looking at opening a supermarket in the city. It is just a question of finding the right location.”

Managing Director John Forkin said: “We have been working with Waitrose and their representatives following a Derby Embassy event last year.

“We are being constantly told by local businesses that there is a real desire to see quality brands like Waitrose here in Derby and we believe they will really thrive here once they have found a location.