Our nearest city has done it again. Cambridge City Centre has held on to first place in the 2026 Newmark Retail Vitality Rankings, a new annual study that measures the health of 1,000 town centres, city centres and shopping malls across the UK. Chelsea’s King’s Road holds second place, also unchanged from last year, with Manchester, Knightsbridge and Edinburgh completing the top five.

For anyone living or working in Huntingdonshire, that’s good news on our doorstep. But the report also has plenty to say about smaller market towns like ours, and it’s well worth a closer look.

Why Cambridge stays on top

Newmark puts Cambridge’s success down to a handful of things working together. Its historic core leaves very little room for new shop space, so demand stays high. It has a wealthy, well-educated catchment, a strong visitor draw and a lively evening economy that keeps people in town after the shops close.

The numbers back that up. Cambridge has a vacancy rate of just 5.9%, well under the national average of 14%. It also leads the East of England, ahead of St Albans, Berkhamsted, Watford and Hitchin, and is named the UK’s top high street overall.

Bigger places are pulling ahead

The wider story this year is that larger destinations are gaining ground. City centres climbed an average of 62 places and large towns 59, as retailers focus on fewer, bigger stores in places with strong footfall. Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Birmingham all made big jumps, while shopping centres such as the Trafford Centre also rose.

Small towns, by contrast, slipped back by an average of 20 places. There are 408 of them in the study, more than any other type of centre, and on average they rank lowest.

That might sound discouraging, but the detail tells a more hopeful story.

What helps small towns hold their own

The small towns that stayed near the top, places such as Cobham, Marlborough, Berkhamsted and Reigate, didn’t do it by competing with the big cities on chain stores. According to Newmark, their strength comes from regular local spending and a clear sense of place, backed by a good blend of shops, hospitality and leisure.

The report picks out several trends that play to the strengths of a market town:

• A day out, not just a shopping trip. Food and drink, leisure and entertainment are now treated as anchors that give people a reason to visit and to stay longer, rather than as add-ons.
• Small treats. Even with budgets under pressure, shoppers keep spending on affordable rewards such as gifts, beauty products, good coffee and something sweet. Gifting and health and beauty were added to the rankings for the first time this year.
• A distinct identity. Newmark’s advice to smaller centres is not to try to copy prime shopping destinations, but to build a well-chosen mix of independents, value retail, leisure and experiences that gives people their own reason to come.

Anyone who has wandered around one of our market squares on a Saturday will recognise that picture. Independent shops, historic buildings, riverside walks, pubs, cafés, markets and events are exactly the ingredients the report describes.

Being found online matters more than ever

The report closes on a point close to our hearts. Newmark argues that online trends now set the pace for physical high streets, with social media recommendations acting as a powerful new form of word of mouth. It also notes that more people are turning to AI tools to decide where to go and what to buy, and that the places with strong, well-organised information online are the ones that get recommended.

That’s a big part of why the Discover network exists. Giving each of Huntingdonshire’s towns a dedicated, up-to-date home online, with listings, events and stories about local businesses and heritage, helps make sure that when someone is planning a day out, our towns are part of the answer.

Cambridge’s success can be ours too

With Cambridge only a short trip away, the city’s strength is an opportunity for the whole district. Visitors who come for the colleges and the shopping are often looking for somewhere quieter and more characterful to explore next, and Huntingdonshire’s towns have that in abundance.

The message from this year’s rankings is clear. Scale helps, but character, a good mix and a reason to linger count for a lot. Those are things our towns already have, and with the right support and the right shop window, we can make even more of them.

You can read the full Retail Vitality Rankings 2026 report on the Newmark website.