Shrewsbury businesses reflect on record Christmas visitors as trade data shows town outperforms national spending
Shrewsbury businesses have reflected on Christmas trade as data reveals the town outperformed the national trend.
The county town enjoyed its busiest December since 2019 according to figures collected by Shrewsbury Business Improvement District (BID), with more than a quarter of a million visits counted for the month.
Figures collected using debit card sales also show that the amount spend in the down in December was down on December 2024, but still totalled £14.9m - and outperformed the benchmark for Great Britain.
Offline debit card spending for the town totalled £132m - down 0.6 per cent on 2024, compared to the Great British benchmark, which was down by 3.3 per cent.
Shrewsbury BID said that while sales remained broadly positive it noted that profit margins remain under intense pressure, with rising costs continuing to impact businesses despite increased visitor numbers.
It said: "It is more important than ever to support your high street’s retailers, hospitality businesses and other small businesses who invest their money back into the local economy."
Stacey Hill, owner of Oberon, a long-standing trio of fashion retailers on Wyle Cop, said that while visitors had been sticking to a budget, there had been a notable amount of people visiting the town for a weekend.
She said: "On the whole, trade was good this Christmas - on a par with 2024. One of the things that stood out was that lots of people came to town not just from the local region but much farther afield, making a weekend of it by staying in a hotel and meeting up with friends to go shopping.
“They definitely had a budget to stick to and weren't blowing the bank this year, but they were enjoying the festive atmosphere and the mix of more unique gifts that Shrewsbury offers thanks to its mix of independent shops - I heard mentioned over and over that Shrewsbury is a brilliant town with a great vibe!"
Some businesses reported higher transaction volumes despite lower average spend.
Estaban Bridges is the owner of multiple businesses in the town centre, including Megastore Collectibles and Darwin’s Barbers in The Darwin Centre, and The Booster Box in the Market Hall.
Sharing his shops' experience, he said trade had been positive at all locations throughout the Christmas period.
He said: “We had expected it to be a challenging year, with hospitality attracting a lot of customers' spending, but both Megastore Collectibles and Darwin's Barbers slightly outperformed last Christmas.
"For Megastore Collectibles in particular, this was a strong result. Some of the high-value products that drove sales last year weren’t available in 2025, which meant our average transaction value was lower. However, we welcomed more customers and we saw customers buying more items per transaction than in previous years, meaning spend grew overall.
"What stood out most to us was the number of new, non-local customers we met. We spoke to visitors who had travelled from surrounding areas specifically for a different shopping experience to what's on offer in larger centres like Telford or Merry Hill, as well as people visiting Shrewsbury for the Christmas pantomime. That level of destination footfall was really encouraging."
The BID said that the combination of footfall data and figures on debit cards show that while cost of living pressures continue to impact businesses, Shrewsbury shows "growing strength as a regional destination."
Sales figures in Shrewsbury for December 2025 show a slight decrease from December 2024 - but outperform the UK benchmark
Detailing the latest sales figures a spokesman said: "According to Beauclair data, debit card sales in Shrewsbury totalled £14.9 million in December 2025, representing a slight decrease from December 2024 but outperforming the GB benchmark.
"Analysis suggests the decline was largely driven by a -3.3 per cent reduction in average revenue per customer, alongside a +0.3 per cent increase in customer numbers.
"This suggests strong levels of engagement and visitor activity, but more cautious consumer spending. As credit card and cash spend is not recorded by Beauclair, the BID understands these spend figures will not represent the full picture, with a proportion of spending typically shifting to credit cards during the festive period.
"For the full year 2025, offline debit card spend totalled £132 million, down -0.6 per cent on 2024, compared the GB benchmark of -3.3 per cent.
"With 262,937 visits to the town centre counted by footfall cameras on High Street and Pride Hill, it was the busiest December since 2019, before the COVID pandemic began. This figure also represents a +15 per cent increase compared to December 2024 – compared to a footfall increase of around +2 per cent in town centres nationally.
"Shrewsbury performs a vital role as a regional shopping and leisure destination as the county town, but businesses state they're also receiving increasing numbers of visitors from farther afield, including the wider West Midlands and the Black Country, with a number of visitors staying for the weekend to shop, dine and explore the town’s independent retail and hospitality scene."
