Leeds has long been a prime destination for consumers in the north of England, with numerous ongoing retail and leisure developments building upon the buzz created by the opening of the Trinity Leeds shopping centre last year. This has seen footfall levels in the city centre rise by an encouraging 5 per cent in the past year, with local councillors hoping that this will continue to grow as the economy improves.
The data showing strong footfall growth was provided by a number of static specialist cameras located in major shopping areas including The Headrow, Albion Street and Briggate. These cameras monitor footfall levels in certain zones and the totals from each are added up to provide a final footfall figure, which in 2014 reached just over 55 million visitors.
Executive member for transport and the economy at Leeds City Council, Councillor Richard Lewis, credits the high level of investment into commercial property that Leeds has attracted for the boom in city centre footfall levels.
He says; “This has been an incredible year for Leeds and it’s fantastic to see that reflected in these figures.
“In the face of tough economic times, Leeds has consistently bucked the national trend and we’ve seen both our leisure and retail offering grow and improve so we can now confidently say the city has more to offer than ever before.
“With Trinity Leeds and the First Direct Arena already attracting huge numbers of people to the city, we also had the unforgettable crowds that flocked to the Grand Départ this year – combined with other exciting events like Light Night and the German market, this has created a real buzz around the city centre throughout 2014 and I’m sure we can continue that next year.”
During the three weeks leading up to Christmas Day, more than 4.5 million people visited key retail destinations in Leeds city centre, thus making Christmas 2014 the most successful shopping period the city has seen since 2011. Part of this boom has been attributed to the huge success enjoyed by Trinity Leeds on Black Friday, during which 101,000 consumers visited the shopping centre; a 29 per cent year on year increase according to centre bosses.
In fact, Trinity Leeds has become something of a saviour for the Yorkshire city, with chief executive Catherine Shuttleworth of Leeds based shopping and retail marketing agency Savvy claiming that “the whole city has been connected back up” thanks to the development. Centre general manager Kevin Duffy believes that 2015 could see Trinity Leeds reach even greater heights, however.
He says; “It’s fantastic to see more people than ever visiting the vibrant city of Leeds, with its new shops, bars and restaurants there’s always a new place to visit.
“At Trinity Leeds we have seen footfall increase by six per cent since November, which is great news for both the city and the centre.
“With a number of new openings planned for 2015, we’re positive that by constantly evolving our offering we will continue to attract an increasing number of visitors.”
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