Liverpool’s
flagship retail and leisure destination, Liverpool ONE, is celebrating a record
year for customer numbers and spend – bucking all national retail trends.
A total of 29
million visitors have shopped or dined at Liverpool ONE during the last 12
months, with the Christmas season performing 10% higher than last year.
And these
latest figures are revealed as the national retail picture shows a drop of
around 4% in footfall to retail and leisure destinations during the same
period.
In November
alone, the number of visitors shopping at Liverpool ONE were 14% higher
compared to the national average and during Christmas week numbers topped 900k!
Retail bosses say they have seen more last minute shopping taking place this year – which has added to the success, together with people choosing to stay for longer, combing shopping with dining and entertainment.
The retail
offer has also expanded this year, with 10 new brands choosing to open stores
in Liverpool ONE, including:
- Morphe
- Oliver Bonas
- Virgin Holidays
- Mint Velvet
- Kate Spade
- Jo Malone London
- Smoke & Dough
- ROX
- Pop-ups: Barbie and Liverpool Gin Distillery
Steven
Connolly, Estate Director at Liverpool ONE, said: “Liverpool ONE’s success
throughout the last year has really been boosted by some leading retail brands
choosing to locate here.
“We believe we
have a really strong offer, together with a warm and welcoming atmosphere
giving people a reason to visit and a memorable experience when they do.
“The free festive concierge service, hands-free bag drop and extended opening hours have all added to the offer.
“We are also
finding more than ever before that when people do visit they are staying for
longer, with the role of entertainment playing a key part.
“People are no
longer just coming to shop, they want the whole leisure experience, from dining
to entertainment. The city has some fantastic attractions to enjoy so a trip to
Liverpool is a treat for all of the family.”
And Mr Connolly believes the success of this year is set to continue into 2020.
He said: “We are talking to a range of brands who are keen to join our retail
offer in 2020 and which we know will be loved by all of our customers.
“The
entertainment offer promises to be strong too. Our augmented reality game featuring
dinosaurs will return in April and with a backdrop of fantastic events across
the city., 2020 is shaping up to being a great year for the city region.
“We also have
the British Gymnastics Championships at the Arena and not forgetting the
Olympics and European Football Championships too!
“We are looking
forward to building on the success of 2019 as we move into a New Year committed
to continuing to bring customers world-class entertainment and a retail offer
which is continually evolving.”