Helston has beaten the likes of Truro and Falmouth to be named the top retail hotspot in Cornwall.

The town is named 61st on the list of 100 towns and cities outside London, by international planning analysts CACI.

It has outperformed Falmouth, which is in 66th, and even the county’s city Truro, which is ranked 88th.

The analysts have used a number of different calculations to come to their verdict, including look at the potential of a town to add retail space, how good the shops were at fulfilling the needs of the people in the area, how good leisure was in the town and how the population might grow over the next decade.

CACI’s principal property consultant John Platt has been quoted as saying: “The retail hot spots show us that in today’s retail world it’s the quality of the offer, and how well it is aligned to your customers groups, rather than the size of a scheme that is key to success.

“The majority of the towns in the list are medium-sized secondary or even tertiary markets like Helston where the opportunity to build a large regional mall doesn’t exist. However there is still opportunity for retailers and developers in these areas provided the mix suits the needs of the shopper.”

The list also takes into account the number of empty shops in Helston, which have fallen from 15 per cent to six per cent in the last 12 months. This is compared to a national average of 12.2 per cent (Local Data Company figures).