Hammerson has revealed that for the Black Friday weekend (23-25 November) footfall across its flagship shopping destinations was up 7.1% year-on-year, with footfall at some locations up by over 10%.
Across its portfolio as a whole, Hammerson is expecting to welcome around 4.5m visitors a week through the doors of its flagship destinations throughout December, and as many as 1.1m people were expected to hit the shops on ‘Super Saturday’ (21 Dec).
Hammerson’s flagship destinations are working hard to make this Christmas extra special. The team at Bullring & Grand Central have built a special, larger-than-life “Christmas Pudding” on the station concourse which gives shoppers the chance to win special prizes, while leading experts in multi-experience design Bompas & Parr have unveiled their latest creation, Once Upon a Time in Birmingham, at the destination.
Santa himself has visited Dundrum (Dublin), Cabot Circus (Bristol) and Centrale, (Croydon), and at Westquay (Southampton), SKATE has returned for another year, with the beautiful 900 sq m ice rink open every day through December. Also, a number of food and beverage brands have added a festive twist to their menus, including Riksha (Union Square), Leon and Nando’s.
Mark Bourgeois, Managing Director UK & Ireland, said, “Consumers all over the UK and Ireland are determined to make this Christmas special. It’s clear that for many people, the only way to make sure a gift is just right is by buying it in-store. Nothing beats seeing something with your own eyes, and that’s reflected in our footfall numbers.”
“As they have been all year, consumers are looking for an experience when they visit our destinations, even when sorting out their Christmas shopping. Increasingly, people are combining a visit to the shops with a meal, trip to the cinema, or a skate.
'As we look to 2020, we are committed to both stepping up the brand mix in our destinations, and to introducing even more exciting, independent F&B brands, as well as the latest leisure concepts.”