Cabinet ministers have held top-level talks with Britain's biggest high street retailers in a bid to breath new life into Bradford.

Chancellor Gordon Brown, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt met bosses of firms including Next, Land Securities, J. Sainsbury and the John Lewis Partnership as part of a drive to boost deprived towns and cities.

Ministers want them to study closely research that highlights 12 places which have poor shopping facilities.

Ideas from the retailers will be used to turn round the fortunes of Bradford, which has almost 100 empty or boarded-up shops and 25 charity stores, and transform it into a vibrant shopping city with a mix of department stores and boutiques.

Today, Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe, a Consumer Minister, said it was vital to look at new ways of regenerating the city.

He said: "We need to make Bradford compete more effectively for shoppers. There are a number of projects under way in Bradford but we need to have even more high quality stores in the centre. If we can get leading players on board to put forward ideas then we can improve standards of shops and increase the number of shoppers which can assist further development."

A spokesman for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said: "Retail experts know best how to improve towns and cities which have depressed shopping areas. It is valuable to tap into this expertise."

The leader of Bradford Council, Counciilor Margaret Eaton, said the city deserved the best and that the input from Government would complement the regeneration of the city centre which includes the £250 million Broadway shopping centre for which demolition work has now started.

Coun Eaton said: "We can now clearly see scenes of activity and Bradford people deserve all the top high street names which are not already here.

"All the household names will make people want to come to Bradford from far and wide. Bradford deserves the best.

"It is good that the top names are talking but they will only come if they recognise it would be good business.

"They are not charities and John Prescott can't persuade them to come if they don't want to."

The meeting was held as part of the ODPM's flagship Underserved Markets Project.

A study commissioned by Business in the Community and drawn up by market research experts Experian made the case for new supermarkets and big retail developments in the city.

Earlier this year, the Telegraph & Argus revealed that Bill Boler, a regeneration wizard famous for breathing new life into some of America's most depressed neighbourhoods was hoping to work on building up Bradford.

He successfully spearheaded projects triggering retail revival in crime-hit no-go areas including Harlam in New York, South Central Los Angeles and South Chicago.

He wants to encourage retailers, including J. Sainbury, Tesco and Marks & Spencer, and development giants such as Capital Shopping Centres, to invest in the city.

This would lure new customers to Bradford - in turn attracting more shops and services, and creating extra jobs.

The 11 areas shortlisted alongside Bradford are Barnsley, Bolsover, Dudley, Haringey, Hastings, Lewisham, Luton, Oldham, Salford, Sedgefield and Waltham Forest.

Mr Boler believes they are places with above-average growth prospects in terms of customer spending by 2011 and where retailers can trade successfully.

The four areas with the best chance of attracting retailers will be selected as pilots later this year. If they succeed the remaining eight schemes will be brought on board.

The Underserved Market Project is being partly-funded through the ODPM's Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, which has £975m for 2004/5 to provide extra resources to 88 of the poorest local authorities.