Over one million visitors head down to Birmingham’s newest shopping centre in just two weeks
After a highly anticipated five-year wait, Birmingham’s Grand Central shopping centre finally opened its doors to the public last month, with customers flocking down to experience their newest retail heaven.
With 66 new retailers and restaurants being brought to the city, crowds of excited and expectant shoppers have certainly had something to celebrate, and are demonstrating this through their spending power.
In its opening weekend alone, Grand Central welcomed over 300,000 people through their doors, whilst the ‘million milestone’ was passed on Wednesday evening.
Jonathan Cheetham, general manager for Grand Central, said: “The million customers is just one aspect of Grand Central’s success. More importantly, our retailers’ tills are ringing and the restaurants are full.
“There are even more jobs being created and the feedback from our visitors is that they love the centre, are proud of it to be in the city, and will be returning.”
Figures from the first two weeks of trading surpassed all predictions and expectations in terms of consumer visits, sales numbers, dwell time and average spend.
The success is being felt across the full roster of retail and dining brands with some retailers reporting a 95 per cent increase on their initial expected sales targets.
Similarly, the demand for the dining offering has been so high that one outlet has hired an additional 20 members of staff, growing its team from 12 to 32 in just two weeks in order to ensure it meets the demands placed on it by the buoyant Birmingham public.
Sir Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham City Council, added: “The early visitor numbers and reports from traders at Grand Central are staggering and confirm it is a transformational regeneration project for the city – solidifying Birmingham’s position at the top of the retail league table.
“The increased footfall, which we hope will continue into the busy Christmas period and beyond, will benefit not only the retailers within the new complex, but those based in the wider city centre too.
“Creating in the region of 1,000 jobs and a positive buzz about Birmingham, it is already very clear the council’s move to purchase the former Pallasades complex to help facilitate the New Street Station redevelopment and the creation of Grand Central was a crucial decision for the city’s economy and transport infrastructure.”
