Abstract
Purpose - Designed to update research work carried out in the early 2000s on the development and impacts of Southampton's West Quay retail development on the urban milieu of the city. Design/methodology/approach - Summarises the findings of detailed research work carried out at West Quay over a five year period. Findings - Suggests that developments that have taken place at West Quay have been overwhelmingly positive for the city and that, as such, the Southampton example supports the case for retail-led urban regeneration. Practical implications - Southampton's position - as one of the first cities in the UK to embark on a city centre retail-led regeneration scheme - finds it extremely well-placed to provide important lessons to other local authorities currently in the process of developing large-scale retail developments in their city centres. Originality/value - This paper updates a detailed study of the history and development of the West Quay retail scheme in the city of Southampton. It seeks to draw a series of wider conclusions from the case and is offered in the spirit of generating debate on this issue. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.