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Christmas shopping boost for Warrington

Golden Square Shopping Centre in Warrington proved itself a trading hotspot in the run-up to Christmas 2013, with even Santa reporting record visitors.

Despite reports of a national decrease of 2.2% in retail sales, and a 4.6% drop in fashion sales specifically, the shopping hub reported a positive increase in overall trading figures during December last year compared with December 2012, with some retailers reporting up to a double figure percentage increase in sales.

Even Santa had plenty to smile about with 600 more children visiting the centre’s festive grotto compared with last year.

Footfall at the centre throughout the month was up by 6.8%, with a record rise of over 13% during Christmas week – over 1.5 million visitors.

The shopping centre’s car park saw a 7% boost in income while sales of Golden Square Gift cards exceeded all expectations, showing a 47% increase in comparison to 2012.

Shopping centre manager, Ian Cox, said: “The figures from the seasonal period are fantastic. Despite the retail industry suffering nationally, we’ve had a very successful December which is a very encouraging for the year ahead.”

Catering outlets also benefited from the increase in footfall across the centre, with Starbucks and Café Nero reporting booming business throughout December.

Starbucks store manager, Wayne Barton-Scully, said: “We had a great Christmas 2013. Our sales not only beat our best expectations but we set records for a single day and for a week. We had significant growth throughout the run-up to Christmas, especially through December, with customer numbers showing similar growth and improvement on last year.”

Ian Cox continued: “We already have some great new stores joining us, including men’s barbers His Roomz and outdoor wear specialist Trespass, and we’re looking forward to continued success in 2014.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .