Shropshire Star

1m shoppers to descend on Shropshire centre in Christmas rush

A shopping centre boss says he expects to see more than one million customers pass through the doors this month.

Published

His joy comes as new figures revealed buoyant sales in the retail sector.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures today revealed that the number of sales rose by 1.7 per cent month-on-month in November, helping it to an annual sales increase of five per cent.

The figures have far exceeded expectations, with economists having pencilled in a 0.5 per cent month-on-month rise and 3.1 per cent year-on-year increase.

Kevin Lockwood, manager of the Darwin and Pride Hill shopping centres in Shrewsbury, says he is anticipating around 1.5 million people to head through the centres during December.

In the run-up to Christmas, footfall is expected to be up by more than 30 per cent with £75 million going through the tills, with one million shoppers visiting the Darwin Centre and a further half a million in the Pride Hill Centre.

Mr Lockwood said: "This is a key time for retailers and we're really looking forward to it and expecting a busy month.

"We would expect over a million shoppers in the Darwin Centre and half a million in Pride Hill and that's something like 40 per cent more than in an average month.

"We did experience some flood disruption but it hasn't dampened people's enthusiasm for Christmas shopping."

ONS head of retail sales Melanie Richard said: "A continued fall in prices as well as promotions in the run-up to Christmas have helped to boost the amount shoppers bought in November, both on the high street and online. The biggest increases came from department stores and household goods

retailers."

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