Bristol Business Guide

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Retail
The sector provides employment for
around 88,700 people within the West
of England (of which 39,100 are in the
city of Bristol).
The West of England has made
significant progress in the last 20
years in its retail experience with
investment in city centres and town
centres – Bristol Shopping Quarter
(Broadmead, the Galleries and Cabot
Circus), SouthGate in Bath and the
redevelopment of Dolphin Square in
Weston-super-Mare. There has also
been expansion in the number of out of
town retail parks e.g. Cribbs Causeway.
Bristol has a variety of high streets/
local centres, ranging from the Bristol
Shopping Quarter with its extensive
array of household-name retailers
alongside independent areas of the
city centre, to the more traditional
commercial areas like Bedminster,
Henleaze, Stapleton Road, St Mark’s
Road, Whiteladies Road and Gloucester
Road that pride themselves on being the
hubs of their respective communities.
Bristol is well known for its diverse
range of independent businesses.
Bristol’s aim is to ensure that
high streets/local centres are
connected, creative, green and
enterprising. It is recognised
that these places are important
places for employment, leisure,
transport accessibility,
culture, health, creativity and
learning, as well as shopping.
Tourism
The sector provides employment
for 57,100 jobs within the West of
England (of which 24,700 are in
the city of Bristol). The sector
includes accommodation (hotels,
bed and breakfasts, self-catering
units), conference and event
venues, and a vast array of
attractions. The sector clearly
links to, benefits from, and
contributes to, the strong Retail
sector.
The West of England has a rich
and varied visitor economy from
the World Heritage City of Bath
with its unique Hot Springs and
spa facilities to the cultural vibrancy
of Bristol and its waterfront, from
the traditional seaside attractions
of Weston-super-Mare to the
rural attractions and villages of
North Somerset and South
Gloucestershire and Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Bristol has world class cultural
and family attractions, great
shopping, nightlife and a superb
range of places to stay. It has
become one of Britain’s most
popular tourist destinations. It’s
the greenest, most environmentally
friendly city in the UK, has one of
the most exciting food and drink
scene and is bursting with events
and festivals throughout the year,
attracting visitors from across
the globe. Bristol’s commercial
strength supports a significant
business and corporate market.
See page 39 for more.
Destination Bristol represents
some 600 private businesses and
two local authorities (Bristol and
South Gloucestershire). It has two
significant roles as the area’s
Destination Management
Organisation - developing specific
projects both in the Bristol city
centre retail and Harbourside areas,
and as the central body promoting
and developing leisure and business
tourism, an industry worth over
£1bn to the local economy.
See