Discount rent charges could be offered to independent shops in Birmingham city centre, to turn it into a "unique fashion and shopping powerhouse".
Making the city's retail environment unique would help to develop Birmingham into an international brand that would bring in shop-pers and tourists from around the world, according to Clive Dutton, director of planning and regeneration at the city council.
Mr Dutton said the council was considering reviewing the city's 12-month planning masterplan to favour independent retailers, after a conversation with retail guru Mary Portas, one of the country's leading experts on retail and brand communication, and the woman credited with turning Harvey Nichols into a fashion success.
"Mary has opened our eyes to a whole new range of issues," said Mr Dutton. "The creatives and the retailers and the independents are vital to the masterplan, so we are open to suggestions and ideas about how
we can to an ever greater extent make Birmingham distinct. All the great international cities are distinctive in some way and that can come from independent retailers.
"It's absolutely vital that we have a distinctive Birmingham character. It's only by that that people will come in ever greater numbers to Birmingham to spend their money.
"There are a lot of good independent shops in the city centre already, about 100. But we should set an ambition that in a few years there should be 200 or 300.
"I think we will start looking at the way in which we use our property portfolio, i.e. whether or not in some areas we can take a different approach to how we use the rents.
"It's about cost effective locations. I want to see that we are creating conditions for the growth of independent retailing."
Ms Portas said she was delighted by Mr Dutton's attitude, saying she would like to see independent retailers get free rent on city centre sites.
"I think the initiative that you have set here in supporting the independents is very important," she said. "It's not the easiest option, but in terms of innovation and creativity its madness not to support them. Local authorities can help by handing over some of their land, we're talking about severely reduced rent here. They have got no chance otherwise."
And she praised the state of Birmingham's retail surroundings, laying particular praise on the boutiques in The Mailbox and the architecture at the Selfridges building as a major draw for people travelling for shopping.
"I think it really really does compare with anywhere else in the country," she said. "You've got all the big names and all the small ones too.
"It compares extremely well, but you are too quiet and too shy about it."
Ms Portas is one of the UK's foremost authorities on retail and brand communication. Previously the creative director for Harvey Nichols, she launched the Yellowdoor agency in 1997, and is now best-known for the Mary Queen of Shops programmes, where she turned around the fortunes of ailing retailers.
She was in Birmingham to announce the winner of the best independent trader in Birmingham city centre. The search was carried out by Retail Birmingham to show off the wealth of talents in the city centre Business Improvement District.
The winner was announced as designer men's clothing boutique Disorder, an ethical, 'anti-brand' shop that produces all of its own clothes and describes itself as 'against global blanding'.
"It's really interesting, there are very few big names in the industry that do this," said Ms Portas. "In terms of talent in Birmingham, it serves the city beautifully. You have a business here that I think is one of the cleverest small retailers I have ever seen."
