Liverpool Christmas shopper numbers break records as most people for years take to city centre streets
The largest number of Christmas shoppers in years took to the streets of Liverpool in 2011, bucking a UK-wide decline for the high street.
More than 18m customers flocked to Liverpool city centre between October and December – almost 3m more than for 2010.
Liverpool city centre footfall for December was up by 35.72% on the previous year, although last year’s freezing conditions may have driven shoppers online to buy from the comfort of their computers.
But this year’s figures were also better than for years when the weather was not a factor, with December, 2011, showing an increase of 13.58% on 2009, 7.22% on 2008, 25.56% on 2007, and 8.89% on 2006.
Liverpool’s John Lewis enjoyed a record week in the run-up to Christmas, with sales up 11.4% on the previous year.
Retailers also welcomed bumper numbers of sales shoppers, as the final week of December saw the city centre heaving with 1,647,624 customers, up 5.21% on 2010 and 18.92% on 2009.
The numbers should provide some comfort to retailers who have had a difficult year.
Nationally, outdoor store Blacks and lingerie chain La Senza are preparing to go into administration, while the future of music chain HMV hangs in the balance.
Chris Bliss, estate director at Liverpool One, said: “2011 was always expected to be a tough year for UK high streets; however, we’ve seen strong footfall throughout the year at Liverpool One.
“We had our busiest-ever week in the run-up to Christmas, and welcomed almost 26m people in 2011. That’s an increase of 5% on 2010 and a remarkable achievement in the current climate.
“We’re cautiously optimistic about the year ahead and looking forward to a busy 2012.”
Ged Gibbons, chief executive of City Central BID, which represents over 630 businesses in the heart of Liverpool city centre, said: ‘’These figures are hugely encouraging, mainly because footfall nationally dropped over the last quarter.
"To have our busiest December set against a backdrop of economic doom and gloom speaks volumes for the city centre’s appeal – not just during the day but at night as well.
"Our goal now is to ensure momentum by continuing to strengthen these partnerships so we can maximise any opportunities to work even more efficiently and effectively at promoting the city centre as an attractive place to visit, shop, work and play.
"That will be difficult this year, but Liverpool has proved it has an enviable track record in bucking the trend.’’
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