Shrewsbury and Telford in the top 120 shopping centres in Britain

Harper Dennis Hobbs has devised a unique ranking of the top 500 British retail centres, which scores the quality of the retail offer, rather than merely their size, which it calls the Vitality Index.

Shrewsbury town centre, which has a number of shopping centres and independent shops has been ranked 91 out of the 500, while Telford, which recently had the Southwater Centre open came in slightly behind at 114.

The Vitality Index scores towns on the presence of shops such as betting shops and cash loan shops, which the firm claims hurts town centres.

The centres that top the list are Westfield London, Chelsea and Knightsbridge, while the the least 'vital' include Dudley in the Black Country, which joins the likes of Llanelli and Morecambe.

Jonathan De Mello, head of retail Consultancy at HDH, said: "This is the first ever retail ranking for Great Britain to incorporate 'vitality;' taking into account the quality of retail provision in a centre.

"We will be releasing this research quarterly to track changes in the rankings and indicate which centres are improving and which are falling further into decline.

"This key new metric for the market will be attractive to retailers and investors alike, as it enables them to assess which centres are growing fast in terms of the quality of retail, and as such where trading performance – and investment opportunities – can be maximised. No retailer should ever open in a location purely based on market size.

"The best performing retailers plan their expansion by evaluating the quality of retail centres and the suitability of the centre to their brand."

HDH said the reason behind the new index is because it understands that a relatively small retail centre with a great selection of brands can be just as vibrant as some of Britain's largest retail centres.

It says Shrewsbury and Telford, which are preparing for the vital Christmas period, are smaller than many centres in the south east but score well because they offer good quality shops, a pleasant shopping environment and a good selection of places to eat and drink.

Shropshire's two main towns also fare well in comparison to others in the Midlands, where they class as competitors.

Merry Hill Shopping Centre in Brierley Hill just beats Shrewsbury by coming in at 77, but Wolverhampton languishes in 262nd place, with Cannock at 284, Stourbridge at 297, Walsall at 352 and Kidderminster at 363.

By evaluating the top 50 retail centres by vitality, HDH highlights the locations that are prospering in the current market and are likely to attract further investment.

The bottom 50 ranking - the retail centres that have the least vitality - show the locations that need to improve their retail offer and adapt to their local consumer.

The rankings have been calibrated through an in-depth understanding of the British retail market, developed from HDH's work with many of the most exciting retailers currently operating in Britain.

In addition, by advising new entrants to Britain, such as American Eagle and J Crew, and established brands such as Louis Vuitton, Karen Millen and Oasis, HDH understands which centres are most important for global retailers and where the greatest turnover is available.

Mr De Mello added: "Significant media focus is often placed on vacancy rates and the change in these over time. However a reduction in vacancy rates is not always positive if those vacant units are filled with what could be perceived to be 'out of fashion' tenants.

"Our vitality scoring system is multivariate - so takes into account the type of retail in a centre as well as pure levels of occupancy."