FESTIVE SHOPPERS AT STOCKPORT’S MERSEYWAY HITS FOUR YEAR HIGH

Increasing consumer confidence is reflected by rising number of visitors as Christmas shopping footfall figures for Merseyway shopping centre in Stockport have hit their highest level since 2009.

In the trading week before Christmas Day more than 216,000 people visited the centre – an increase of 4.2 per cent on the equivalent week in 2012 and the highest total since property agency GVA took over the management of Merseyway in 2009.

The number of shoppers at Merseyway for December as a whole exceeded one million for the third successive year – a total that allowed the centre to exceed a footfall total of 10 million for the whole of 2013, again for the third consecutive year.

Shoppers were attracted to the festive offering at Merseyway where 87 out of a total of 91 retail units way are occupied – the centre has the least number of unoccupied stores among rival shopping centres in towns in the North West of England.

Jacqueline O’Shea, (left) national director property management at GVA and managing agent of Merseyway, said:

“As the UK emerges from the grips of a prolonged downturn, we’re witnessing an increase in consumer confidence reflected by an ever rising number of visitors to Merseyway.

“People are starting to loosen their purse strings and in particular, like to spend that bit more on gifts for friends and family at Christmas.”