YORK council chiefs have extended their thanks to all those who contributed to a new report on city centre retailing trends.

The report, which was commissioned and produced by City of York Council's economic development and community safety scrutiny board, and has taken several months to complete, sought the views of both shoppers and retailers.

Its recommendations included:

That the appeal and potential benefits of a large, flagship retailer are acknowledged as both an important addition to the stores that York already has and in underpinning the success of city centre retailing

That the appeal and potential benefits of a primarily food selling retailer in York city centre are acknowledged. Future efforts to develop this type of retailer are supported and that a large, non-specialist food retailer be sought for the city centre

That a detailed review of York's city centre toilet facilities is conducted with a view to considerably improving them

That council officers carry out a detailed review of boarded-up shops and devise a system for monitoring them.

Tony Bennett, the council's assistant director of economic development, said: "Statistics have shown that York's popularity as a place to visit primarily for shopping has been waning and the economic development and community safety scrutiny board felt that it was vital that what lay behind the figures was investigated.

"In piecing the report together, members have spoken to retailers, visitors to York and residents to get a clear idea of the current retailing trends and identify opportunities to build on York's strengths so that it will continue to thrive as a shopping centre."

The report's recommendations will be considered by the council's executive in the near future.

Updated: 08:33 Tuesday, October 19, 2004