VACANCY rates of premises in Winchester are some of the lowest in the country, business owners have heard.

Winchester Business Improvement District told members the city's current rate for empty shops is 3.9 per cent - the lowest it's been for several years.

The news backed figures put forward by BID that claimed business confidence had been calculated at seven of eight, using the group's business barometer, for the last five consecutive quarters.

At their annual general meeting on Thursday (APRIL 16) traders heard the High Street has a 50/50 split between independent and national brand retailers.

Speaking about BID's seven year history, executive director, Chris Turner, said: “This evening is a bit of a celebration really. The BID has shifted from being a crime and grime sort of place and moving onto new stuff now.

"We have very good data to get a sense of what happens and how it operates and a barometer. We're a city which knows what's going on inside its boundaries. It isn't perfect, we've not got it all right, but on the whole we perform better than other cities.”

Traders were also told that the data had proven the city is "dramatically weather-dependant" and that BID's income for the last tax year was £573,511, the highest levy of which was £20,100.