Festival Place becomes dog-friendly destination
Festival Place in Basingstoke has introduced a dog-friendly policy in response to increased demand from retailers and shoppers.
The move follows a successful trial over the last four months and means that more than 60 stores will now allow dogs inside, including restaurants, cafes, clothes stores, jewellery stores and banks.
Neil Churchill, centre director at Festival Place, said: “We have been hoping to extend our current assistance dogs’ policy to welcome dogs for some time now. Dog ownership boomed during the pandemic, and we hope this will make life a bit easier for those visitors who want to enjoy a day out with us but are anxious about leaving their dogs behind.
“As a true town centre-based scheme, we are closer to our local community than many other comparable shopping centres. We hope that the introduction of this new policy further contributes to creating a welcoming and inclusive space for our visitors”.
To help local dog owners to familiarise their pet with the centre and encourage them to come shopping with their dog, Festival Place is partnering with local dog trainer provider Lupo Academy which will be making a three-week course available to all owners of puppies under 20 weeks.
Launched in October 2002, Festival Place was acquired by AEW in 2015. Brands with a presence at the 1.1 million square foot scheme includes the likes of Apple, H&M, M&S, Next, Waterstones and Five Guys.
