EIGHT per cent of shops in Salisbury city centre are empty but business chiefs say the city is bucking the national trend with the number being one of the lowest in the country.

Springboard, the company which provides the city’s footfall counters, released figures on the take-up of shops throughout the UK.

Salisbury’s eight per cent compares to the average percentage of empty shops in UK towns and cities being 10.3 per cent.

Steve Godwin of Salisbury’s Business Improvement District (BID) said: “We have more than 600 retail premises across the city and while a number of businesses have recently closed, this has been balanced by the opening of several, with many more to come.

“The York Roast Co., City Cobbler, the Salisbury Chocolate Shop and the Original Factory Shop are among the new businesses to have opened.

“And although Strada closed at the end of last year, Giggling Squid is due to open in the same premises next month and it is reported that several new names such as Schuh are to appear in the city this year.”

The survey on Salisbury’s retail units was conducted by the BID in January.

Dean Speer, partner at commercial agents Myddelton and Major, said: “It’s very good to see the void level in Salisbury is still one of the lowest in the country. “The city has held up well through the recession and we feel this reflects the strength of Salisbury as a shopping destination. “Although it is always disappointing to see shops we are familiar with closing, as agents we are getting new enquiries from occupiers keen to come to Salisbury, the take-up rate is good with few shops remaining vacant for long periods.

“A property agent from another town said to me last week he prefers to come to Salisbury to shop as it’s such a vibrant and attractive city; perhaps we should try to see how our city looks to those from the outside rather than the focusing on what we see as wrong.”