Time for shoppingham to change gear

With a new Broadmarsh on the horizon, may be we shouldn't be worried by Nottingham dropping down the retail rankings a bit. Then again, may be we should, says Business Correspondent RICHARD BAKER

IS NOTTINGHAM losing its touch as a shopping city? Or is it simply playing catch-up with other cities which have edged ahead through developments that Nottingham itself will easily beat in years to come?

Two different surveys tell two different stories. One, by Experian, says we are still the fifth best shopping city in the UK measured in terms of vitality.

Another, by analysts CACI, says we've slipped two places to seventh because people now spend more in other cities.

Taking a crude average of those two surveys, you could say we've slipped one place.

Either way, there is a sense that Nottingham is no longer the undisputed retail heavyweight champion of the East Midlands. Still the biggest hitter, yes, but now coping with some fast-moving middleweights who have landed a few punches.

So what's going on?

We're still waiting to hear exactly when work will start on the new Broadmarsh. Two anchor stores have signed outline agreements to take space there, which is what is normally needed to kick-start a timetable.

But there's still no word from developer Westfield when it will send the bulldozers in.

Why? My information is that Westfield is busy with a whole load of major schemes in different parts of the country and currently hasn?t got the manpower available to do Broadmarsh as well.

Two of these major schemes are in London, one near the 2012 Olympics site. Frustrating as it is, you can understand that taking priority because the Olympics won't wait.

But the uncertainty over Broadmarsh doesn't help the city create a positive way forward.

We're also in the midst of a retail downturn that is making life hard for existing shops, never mind new ones.

That's no excuse for not having a coordinated strategy to raise retail's game in Nottingham. And that's what appears to be missing.

Tempting though it is to learn from other cities, their tricks can only go so far. I worked in Leeds in the mid-90s, and was lucky enough to be around when Harvey Nicks first opened.

It was a defining moment that acknowledged that regional cities had the taste and the money to sustain big names previously thought to be the preserve of London.

Harvey Nicks came to Leeds for three reasons. One was that there was already lucrative catchment, Leeds sitting cheek-by-jowl with goldmines like Harrogate, Otley and Knaresborough.

Another was that Leeds itself was emerging as a financial and professional services centre of national standing, with loads of well-paid lawyers and accountants willing to splash the cash they earned from corporate finance deals.

Last, and by no means least, my understanding of the terms of the property deal is that Harvey Nicks was effectively paid to go there.

Nottingham isn't Leeds, and nor should it pretend to be. Its catchment is not as lucrative, but it is a big one. It does not have an Ab Fab big name, but it does have a genuinely stunning Paul Smith shop-within-a-house that you won't find outside London or other international fashion cities. So may be 'our' Harvey Nicks is already here

It also has a very wide variety of high-profile names in a compact area that makes enjoyable shopping an easy experience.

Nottingham isn't on the skids. But neither is it making the rapid progress needed to maintain our position in a fiercely competitive market.

Let's cast a critical eye on where it's at right now.

For all its success, Victoria Centre seems like a mundane environment when set alongside modern rivals, offering little in the way of shopping 'experience'.

Trinity Square remains a building site.

Broadmarsh is clearly in its dying days, populated largely by low price stores and many on flexible leases.

Bridlesmith Gate appears far too dependent on shoe shops, Flying Horse Walk looks unloved (though Vivienne Westwood is on the way), while Exchange Arcade has nothing to make you linger - if ever a location was crying out for an upmarket Betty's-style coffee shop this is it.

When Broadmarsh does eventually happen (two years, three years?), it will send the city up a gear. Both that's no reason not to put our foot down now.

Retail contributes MASSIVELY to Nottingham's wealth and reputation. Let's see a strategy to raise its game, to make the streets interesting and entertaining through art, events and lighting.

And let's see some of the shops try harder. Service and product knowledge remain lamentable in some outlets and the internet bell is tolling loudly for them.

Many of the more upmarket boutiques are pitched at sophisticated, well-heeled shoppers. Yet where is the convenient late-night opening such busy people crave?

None of this is rocket science. May be some of these ideas are already on the launch pad.

But don't wait for Broadmarsh before you press the start button.