Glasgow's George Square at Christmas
Glasgow's George Square at Christmas

Scotland is top of the shops this Christmas

Scotland is top of the table when it comes to Christmas shopping.

Edinburgh has been named the best city in the UK for Christmas shopping, with Glasgow second, after Premier Inn created a unique algorithm that takes into account factors such as the amount of shops, scale and rating of the Christmas market, parking availability and even the chance of snow.

The hotel chain decided to carry out the research to help high street shoppers to discover the most festively stress-free shopping experience in the UK, knowing that despite the popularity of online shopping, the Christmas period always means a much higher footfall on the high street.

The algorithm itself uses six specific factors, including; how busy each city is by its size and population, how many shops there are, the size and rating of the Christmas market, traffic, parking availability and the chance of snowfall in the area.

Edinburgh was found to offer the very best Christmas shopping experience, with the city’s cobbled streets, abundance of shops, huge Christmas market and high chance of snow helping to crown it as the winner. Glasgow at number two, confirming Scotland as the place to go for a festive shopping staycation.

The top ten also includes the Harry Potter-esque charms of Oxford, the festive warmth of Newcastle and parking-friendly Belfast.

Glasgow’s George Square at Christmas

Top Ten UK locations for the best Christmas shopping experience are:

  1. Edinburgh
  2. Glasgow
  3. Oxford
  4. Newcastle
  5. Belfast
  6. Bournemouth
  7. Southampton
  8. Manchester
  9. Brighton
  10. York

A Premier Inn spokesperson said: ‘Christmas is the ideal time to support the UK’s highstreets and enjoy the shopping and entertainment that goes with it. However, it can be a daunting task trying to compete with large festive crowds.

‘By creating this expert algorithm, we hope we can help consumers to avoid key shopping stressors, and instead have an enjoyable experience.

‘It came as no surprise to us that Edinburgh topped the list, with the city being the ideal winter destination. Its cobbled streets, striking architecture and abundance of shops making it the perfect place to tick gifts of the list and soak up the very best of the season at the impressive Christmas market.’

Find out more HERE.

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