finance
Doncaster Retail Trends Signal Shift to Outlets and Online as City Centre Employment Falls
Local data shows traditional high street stores losing ground while specific outlet and shopping centre sites record gains that businesses should monitor.
How we reported this
Doncaster City Centre lost 1,330 retail employees between 2015 and 2023, leaving retail at just over 9% of all employment in the area according to the Annual Monitoring Report 2024 from Doncaster Council.
This drop reflects a broader change where all retail business growth in the same period came from micro-businesses in internet and mail order sectors. The pattern matters now because operators still tied to physical high street locations face pressure to adjust inventory, staffing and channel mix before further erosion sets in.
Outlet and Centre Activity Offers Clearer Signals
Lakeside Village Outlet Shopping recorded a 3.6% rise in footfall and an 8% increase in sales compared with 2019, with recent openings including Saltrock, Weird Fish, Charnwood Entertainments, Calendar Club and Bensons Outlet. At the same time Frasers Group bought Frenchgate Shopping Centre and expanded its Sports Direct store to more than 35,000 square feet while adding USC, Game and Evans Cycles; Marks & Spencer separately confirmed new store plans at the centre.
These developments sit alongside the documented move away from traditional high street retailing. The combination points to a market where scale in established centres and direct-to-consumer online operations are gaining share faster than standalone street-level units.
Practical Steps for Local Operators
Businesses should review whether their current sites align with the locations showing measurable footfall and sales recovery, such as Lakeside Village, or with the larger covered centres now under new ownership. At the same time they can examine micro-business models in internet and mail order that account for all net retail growth since 2015. Checking the detailed tables in the Doncaster Council Annual Monitoring Report 2024 and the indicator summary appendix provides the baseline numbers needed to compare individual performance against these trends without relying on unverified projections.
This article is general information only and is not personal financial or investment advice. Consider your own circumstances and seek licensed professional advice before making financial decisions.