Britain’s top shopping centre for 2025 named: would you join 1m visitors at Glasgow’s Silverburn?

Footfall is surging, brands are queuing, and one Glasgow giant is turning shopping trips into days out worth planning.

Britain’s most coveted retail award has picked its champion for 2025, and the decision signals where shopping is heading. Think scale, experience and a line-up that blends global names with local flavour. All roads, it seems, lead to the south-west of Glasgow.

Who took the crown

SCEPTRE has named Silverburn Shopping Centre as Britain’s Retail Destination of the Year for 2025. The 1 million sq ft complex, opened in 2007 in Pollok, has been on a charge, reshaping its tenant mix and upgrading the day-out credentials that modern shoppers expect.

SCEPTRE’s Retail Destination of the Year: Silverburn, Glasgow.

The judging panel pointed to sustained growth and a clear strategy. Over the past 18 months, Silverburn has added 24 new stores and 10 kiosks. It has also welcomed an extra one million visits compared with the same point last year. Those numbers cut through the noise. They speak to momentum, not a one-off spike.

+1,000,000 year-on-year visits, 24 new shops and 10 new kiosks added in just 18 months.

Why Silverburn won

A bigger reason to stay longer

Modern malls rise or fall on reasons to linger. Silverburn has doubled down on leisure and novelty. A King Pins bowling alley anchors the after-work crowd. Scotland’s first Haribo shop pulls families and gift hunters. Scotland’s largest Zara raises the fashion flag, while Glasgow’s first Bershka and Pull & Bear widen the youth appeal.

Scale with variety

More than 100 high street names sit alongside independent boutiques, cafés and family dining. That balance matters. Big brands bring consistency and pull; local operators give character and a sense of place. The result is breadth without blandness.

Location and access

Perched in Pollok, the centre draws from south Glasgow, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire. Road links and plentiful parking make it a reliable regional hub. Public transport options add resilience when fuel prices bite or weather turns.

How it stacks up against the field

Silverburn faced serious competition across England’s north and south. Sustainability, heritage-led retail and town-centre regeneration all featured among the finalists.

The strategy behind the surge

The award recognises more than shiny openings. It reflects a plan built around three levers: anchor upgrades, experience layers and community reach.

• Anchor upgrades: bigger, buzzier flagships drive repeat visits and basket size.
• Experience layers: bowling, events and seasonal pop-ups convert errands into outings.
• Community reach: local recruitment, skills, and charity partnerships root the centre in its neighbourhood.

These levers tackle the post-pandemic retail puzzle. Pure shopping trips remain under pressure from online rivals. Destinations that add leisure and social value pull ahead on footfall and dwell time. That often translates to stronger sales density and steadier occupancy.

What this means for shoppers

A title is only useful if it changes your day. For visitors, it likely means more choice, better upkeep and livelier programming through 2025. Expect new-season drops to land with fanfare, family-friendly events during school holidays, and late-night trade when the city is celebrating.

Food and drink have been stepping up too. Rising energy and supply costs pushed operators to simplify menus and sharpen value. Centres performing well tend to keep midweek offers, kids’ bundles and pre-cinema deals in play. That supports budgets without flattening the experience.

Glasgow’s gain

For Glasgow, Silverburn’s momentum is a vote of confidence. Retail employment, service jobs and supplier contracts ripple beyond the mall. A strong regional draw also relieves pressure on compact high streets by distributing spend. The prize will encourage further investment, from refits to digital wayfinding and greener operations.

Planning a visit

Practical tips to make it smooth

• Time your trip: mornings on weekdays tend to be quieter; weekends ramp up from late morning.
• Set a budget: flagship fashion, a bowling game and lunch for a family of four can run to £90–£140.
• Click-and-collect: reduce in-store time by ordering ahead, then browse at leisure.
• Transport check: buses can beat traffic on rainy Saturdays; parking fills near anchors first.
• Keep an eye on openings: new kiosks and pop-ups rotate often, especially near seasonal peaks.

Signals for the retail year ahead

Silverburn’s win points to a few wider signals. Experiential retail is no longer the garnish; it is the main course. Flagship fashion still brings crowds, but cross-generational attractions keep them on site longer. Sustainability remains on the agenda, as Bluewater’s commendation shows, and energy-saving retrofits will shape how centres invest.

Data will drive layout tweaks. Expect to see heat maps turning quiet corridors into activation zones, with mobile kiosks, micro-events and short-term leases testing what works before long-term commitments follow.

Useful extras if you work in retail or property

Thinking of benchmarking performance? Start with footfall versus 2019 baselines, then layer spend per visit, dwell time and tenant churn. A simple model can stress test decisions: if a new leisure anchor lifts dwell by 12 percent and boosts adjacent sales by 6 percent, what rent-supportable value does that add over five years after fit-out amortisation?

For brands weighing a unit at Silverburn or its peers, consider blended deals. Shorter leases with turnover elements can share risk and free cash for fit-out. Meanwhile, click-and-collect counters near parking can turn online demand into store visits that upsell.

The takeaway for families

Shoppers want certainty on value and a day that feels easy. A centre that can fold bowling, sweet treats, fashion staples and coffee breaks into a single stop has the edge. With the SCEPTRE trophy on the shelf and a pipeline of new names, Silverburn is betting it can keep you there longer—and send you home happy.