Hammerson reports 6% rise in footfall for post-Christmas shopping
Hammerson has reported that more than 2.5 million consumers visited its centres on 26, 27 and 28 December, an increase of 6% over the same period in 2010.
The shopping centre owner said its busiest shopping day was 27 December when over 900,000 people visited its portfolio of ten regional centres.
In London, Brent Cross enjoyed its busiest ever Boxing Day attracting 65,000 people, an increase of 27% on the previous year. This year, the shopping centre also had its busiest ever pre-Christmas trading day on 23 December, as well its busiest Christmas Eve.
In Scotland, Union Square in Aberdeen saw footfall increases of 36%, 15% and 10% for 26, 27 and 28 December respectively with big ticket items such as laptop computers, flat screen televisions and tablet computers proving particularly popular.
At West Quay in Southampton, bargain hunters began queuing at 4am on Boxing Day with over 55,000 people visiting the centre that day. This represented a 43% increase on Boxing Day 2010.
David Atkins, chief executive of Hammerson commented: “With Christmas day falling on a Sunday, many customers left shopping to the last minute, however, the momentum has continued. Centres across the country have been reporting record breaking numbers of visitors looking to take advantage of Boxing Day sales.”
Hammerson’s shopping centre portfolio comprises: Union Square in Aberdeen, Silverburn in Glasgow, Bullring in Birmingham, Highcross in Leicester, Queensgate in Peterborough, Brent Cross in North London, The Oracle in Reading, West Quay in Southampton, Centrale in Croydon and Cabot Circus in Bristol.
