European Retail City Index
Which European City Centres Offer the Best Opportunities for Retailers?

In today’s rapidly evolving retail landscape, choosing the right city centre location is more critical than ever. Our European Retail City Index ranks and analyses key urban markets based on the factors that matter most to retail occupiers.
This report from Oxford Economics and JDM Retail offers unparalleled insight into the top-performing European city centres, helping retail, hospitality & leisure brands, investors, and decision-makers identify the best locations for expansion, investment, and long-term success.
The Top 3 City Centres for Retail
- Paris, France
- London, United Kingdom
- Berlin, Germany
These cities lead the way in retail strength, spend potential, and business conditions. But where does your city rank? Download the full index of 30 cities now to see the complete rankings.
Paris and London are by far the strongest cities in Europe when it comes to occupier attractiveness. Paris captures slightly more spend than London overall, and outstrips the UK capital in terms of spend growth potential – but London scores higher for business environment. Berlin ranks 3rd overall and is a strong all-rounder, with the German capital faring relatively well across all 3 categories of our index.
How We Measure City Centre Performance
This analysis focuses on quantifying 3 areas of consideration that are front-of-mind for any occupier looking to enter new markets:
- Market Size – Understand retail spending patterns and the presence of key international brands in each city centre.
- Spend Potential – Get a clear picture of consumers’ disposable income, retail sales growth, and the expansion of the leisure & hospitality sector.
- Business Environment – Assess the national-level factors that influence retail stability, including corruption levels, institutional strength, and political stability.
Top 30 City Rankings
This index ranks these 30 cities – download the full report to see how each city centre performs.

Key Findings: What This Report Reveals
- Identify high-growth retail hotspots – Find out which cities offer the strongest consumer spending power and retail growth potential.
- Make data-driven decisions – Gain confidence in site selection with insights into market size, retail footfall, and economic trends.
- Stay ahead of competitors – Position your brand in the best-performing city centres before your rivals do.
- Navigate business risks – Understand the regulatory and economic environments that impact retail success.
Interne Entscheidungsfindung
Mit unseren Expertenteams und bewährten Modellen können wir die Auswirkungen staatlicher Maßnahmen auf Organisationen, Branchen und Volkswirtschaften – von der hyperlokalen bis zur globalen Ebene – genau messen. In Kombination mit unseren maßgeschneiderten Tools zur Risikoüberwachung und Szenarioanalyse sind wir ein unschätzbarer Partner für Unternehmen, die sich mit zahlreichen Vorschriften in verschiedenen Regionen auseinandersetzen müssen.
Wir identifizieren nicht nur die Risiken, sondern versetzen Unternehmen auch in die Lage, ihre Geschäftsstrategien und langfristigen Planungen an den zu erwartenden politischen Veränderungen auszurichten. So können sie sicherstellen, dass sie gut aufgestellt sind, um neue Vorschriften einzuhalten und sich bietende Chancen durch fundierte Entscheidungen über Investitionen, Innovationen und Geschäftsentwicklung zu nutzen.
Gemeinsam mit einem Kunden haben wir ein Modell zur Identifizierung, Priorisierung und Überwachung von Risikosignalen entwickelt, um eine Reihe geopolitischer, wirtschaftlicher, sozialer, technologischer, ökonomischer und rechtlicher Risiken zu bewerten.
Talk to us