Report Summary
The Globe Shopper City Index - Europe, an Economist Intelligence Unit research project, sponsored by Global Blue, seeks to find out which of 33 European cities are best placed to take advantage of the continent's reputation among international consumers. The Index is intended to help international shoppers choose among destination cities based on their priorities, for example price, convenience and city ambience, among other factors. The Index is unique among shopping destination rankings for the comprehensive set of criteria it covers, the strength of its methodology and its interactive features.
The Index evaluates cities in five categories: shops; affordability; convenience; hotels and transport; and culture and climate. (For a detailed explanation of the methodology, please see the Appendix.)
The spice of life: London tops the Index for its variety of goods and choice of locations, but the price-conscious should look elsewhere for bargains. London's most obvious attraction in the Index is the sheer variety of locations and goods available to the international shopper. The city earns its best category score, 80.6 points, for shops, nearly six points ahead of second-placed Paris in this category.
The Spanish advantage: Madrid and Barcelona tie for second place with consistently strong performances across all categories. Although not perhaps usually ranked among Europe's most famous shopping destinations, Madrid and Barcelona possess strong and extensive attractions for the shopper, including good cuisine, convenience, and low prices for brand names.
A menu of attractions: Most Index cities score strongly in at least one specific area, meaning that shoppers can choose their preferred destination from among many options. The Economist Intelligence Unit weighted all categories equally to generate the topline results, but shoppers may "weight" certain parts of the experience more highly than others depending on their priorities (see Sidebox, "Explorer, cool hunter or deal tracker"). For example, the "deal tracker" might value pricing above all else. The "explorer" might look for sights and experiences along with consumerism. For the "perfect planner", having a wide range of restaurants may be most important.
Convenient truth: Longer opening hours and more discounts could be a way for cities to set themselves apart. It is worth remembering, however, that restricted opening hours and difficulty in finding a bargain, while making shopping itself less convenient, may actually increase the fun for some types of shoppers.
Due east for value: Bargain trips are off the beaten track. The Index shows that the best-performing cities on overall spend are in the east and south-east, in particular Sofia, Bratislava, Bucharest, Kiev and Belgrade. This will not suit everyone's tastes, but it could be just what those who gain pleasure from exploring and finding deals are looking for.
