FOLLOWING the publication of the UK shopping centre hierarchy ‘Going Shopping 2011 - The Definitive Guide to Shopping Centres’ by Trevor Wood Associates, Redditch’s Kingfisher Shopping Centre has come out as the fourth best place to shop in the West Midlands, and ranked 21st nationally.

The guide ranks centres by footfall, size, number and type of shops. Kingfisher beat over 40 other centres to make the West Midlands top five, coming in behind Westfield Merry Hill at six, The Bullring at 11, and The Telford Shopping Centre at 12.

Over the last few years, the centre has put a huge investment into bringing in new tenants, and has welcomed some of the high street’s biggest brands, such as Primark, JD Sports, Burtons, Dorothy Perkins and an enlarged New Look. The centre has also been keen to support smaller retailers such as Therapy Feet providing the Redditch shoppers with the most popular skincare treatment about today – fish pedicures.

Retail is not Kingfisher’s only success. The Apollo Cinema continues to be a favourite with residents, sitting at number four for growth at the box office across the country.

Marketing manager Beth Gray said: “The centre has worked hard in securing new tenants, attracting investment from some of the high streets biggest brands.”

“Following a successful Christmas campaign, we had a very busy and positive start to the first quarter. We aim to make sure our shoppers happy with a proactive calendar of great events throughout the year.

“Our social media campaign continues to grow, and for the younger shoppers we run events through our Kids’ Club, which now has over 1,000 members signed up.

“The centre now offers so much variety to shoppers, and we’re extremely proud to be seen as one of the best places to shop in the West Midlands. It is encouraging not only for our retailers, but for our customers that Redditch is prospering and the centre in growing.”