Edinburgh named on of top locations with best performing consumer economy
Bristol, Exeter and Edinburgh are set to see the fastest growth in spending and job creation in industries such as retail, leisure and tourism, a new report has predicted.
Research by law firm Irwin Mitchell and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) suggested that Exeter will experience the biggest growth by the end of the year.
York, Cambridge and Exeter make up the top three locations expected to see the biggest increase in workforce numbers.
Victoria Brackett, of Irwin Mitchell, said: 'The study into trends in the consumer sectors of retail, leisure, tourism and food and drink makes for very positive reading for the South West as a whole.
'The region has experienced high growth in tourist spending in recent years, which may have been responsible for this sector growth.
'As the forecasts for the final quarter of the year show, the good news is that such expansion is not expected to be limited to a single year.
'While the report indicated that the South West saw one of the largest year-on-year drops in footfall on high streets and at shopping centres last year, it does not seem that such issues are harming the region's growth from a consumer perspective.'