NEVER mind the merchants of gloom tut-tutting over the demise of York as a shopping paradise. The truth is that dozens of major national retailers are clamouring for a foothold in the city.

The latest Experian Retail Rankings which puts the city at 26th - two places worse than it was last year - leave the likes of Andrew Hedley shaking his head in wide-eyed shock.

Mr Hedley is a partner at Blacks Property Consultants, in Main Street, Fulford, and the Experian findings totally contrast with his daily experience.

He said: "The nation's retailers are beating a path to our door. Even young retail entrepreneurs are queuing for properties. One small shop at rent of £10,000 per annum will attract three or four trying to get on to the retail ladder.

"If the picture is so gloomy, why are so many people prepared to pledge their life savings to come here?"

Being just at the start of the two-peaked season - spring and September - he expects the demand to rocket even more, especially now that for the time being the controversial Coppergate 2 scheme has been rejected and blight has been lifted.

Meanwhile, to prove he has his work cut out, he grabs a random sheaf of papers from a large pile and fans them out on his desk.

"Every one of these is a request for retail space in York and I must get an average of one a day," he says They include; health food chain Holland & Barrett which wants ground floor sales space of between 1,000 and 1,500sq ft; Slater Menswear which wants a space of 8,000 to 10,000sq ft; the Watch Lab quality watch repairers; and designer sunglass outlet Shade Station which already has shops in Meadowhall, Sheffield and the Victoria Arcade in Leeds.

Scotts, the clothing alteration company, wants York to join its portfolio of 40 shops; the £86 million Heron Frozen Foods wants York to host one of the 50 new stores it plans to open this year; and the £65 million turnover B & M (Bargain Madness) chain wants one of the ten new stores it plans, to be in York.

Or how about a new Ben's Cookies of York, or a York outpost for printing.com? "And that's just a small sample," he said.

Updated: 09:34 Tuesday, March 23, 2004