‘Leamington - a better place than Birmingham!’

And it needs the combination to keep its reputation as “one of the more interesting places to shop”, said Gill Worthington.

A recent study of 1,300 high streets – The State of the UK’s Retail Places, compiled by the Local Data Company and the Oxford Institute of Retail Management – rated Leamington ahead of bigger centres, such as Birmingham and Cardiff.

Leamington was rated in the top 50 shopping centres in the country and was up against retail giants such as central London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham, which came in eighth but lacked variety for its size, said the report.

Meanwhile nearby Coventry and Sheffield and Swansea were pushed out of the top 50.

Town centre developments – such as the Royal Priors shopping centre, opened in 1988 – put Leamington as the fourth most improved ranking since 1984, and Solihull, which came in 38th, was third most improved.

The report said: “Much of the debate about death of the high street has centered around headline-grabbing statements about pay-day lenders and betting shops, but behind the rhetoric there’s been little data to back it up. This is a start.

“And although there are few surprises within the figures, at last we can put numbers to them. Food and leisure is on the increase, so are value shops, and there are now more nail bars on Britain’s high streets than Chinese restaurants. And, against all the odds the number of independents is rising.”

Ms Worthington and the retail team at Leamington law firm Wright Hassall have worked on behalf of a number of traders in the town for many years and they believe the “individual feel” has been a major factor in town’s popularity as a retail destination.

She said: “It is clear to see that Leamington was highlighted because it has a rich variety of both individual and well-known stores and has its own unique heritage. Diversity is clearly essential to the survival of retail centres.

“It will be interesting to see what impact that the out-of-town stores, such as the new Morrisons, Aldi and Debenhams, have on the viability of the town centre retailers and the image of the town as a destination for shoppers.”

“Although retail parks have been accused of undermining town centres this is often due to the latter having little to offer by way of an alternative.

“This is patently not the case with Leamington which has succeeded in preserving its character and individuality and allowed it to prosper in difficult times.”