Grosvenor has revealed the full extent of Eurovision’s positive impact on Liverpool ONE, revealing record-breaking footfall and sales results, following the hosting of the event by Liverpool this year on behalf of Ukraine.
For the week of May 7 to May 13, which included Eurovision’s two semi-finals and the final, footfall in Liverpool ONE exceeded the predicted uplift of 25%, actually increasing by 31.5% versus the same week in 2022. This compares to a 5.7% increase for the UK as a whole. Footfall for the entire Eurovision period (May 5 to May 14) was up 17.3% against the same period last year, with Liverpool ONE welcoming 680,000 visits.
The influx of visitors had a huge impact on sales with CACI, the consumer and location intelligence specialist, calculating an additional £19.9m of consumer spend in Liverpool ONE as a direct consequence of Eurovision. During the semi-finals and finals week, total sales in Liverpool ONE increased by 23% overall versus the same time last year. Restaurants in particular excelled with a sales increase of 78% over the whole Eurovision period, peaking on the finals Saturday with an uplift of 87% compared to 2022.
Liverpool ONE’s footfall and sales results over the Eurovision period proved the destination’s most successful to date in 2023, and have broken post Covid-19 record figures outside of the holiday season. Liverpool ONE’s performance was driven by a combination of a significant increase in tourists and visitors exploring all of the city centre as Liverpool embraced Eurovision.
According to analysis by CACI, Liverpool attracted visitors from five times more countries than usual, with the most arriving from Switzerland, the US, Uzbekistan, the Netherlands and Ireland. Domestic tourists also made their mark, with the average drive time to Liverpool increasing by 27% to 90 minutes, significantly out-performing the 39-minute average for UK cities.
CACI’s data also reveals 64% of people visiting the M&S Bank Arena, which hosted the Eurovision competition, also visited Liverpool ONE. This compares to 35% of visitors to the Arena visiting Liverpool ONE in the same period last year.
Donna Howitt, place strategy director at Liverpool ONE, said: “We describe Liverpool ONE as the heart of the UK’s most sociable city, and there is no better endorsement of that than the impact of Eurovision. The whole city rose to the occasion, creating a welcome like no other, and Liverpool ONE was proud to have played its part.
“Liverpool ONE and the city were united by music, leading to a significant boost in footfall and sales and, just as importantly, a fantastic atmosphere that everyone enjoyed.”
Liverpool ONE’s support of Eurovision included hosting the official Eurovision pop-up merchandise store on Manesty’s Lane, while a number of its retailers and restaurants implemented Eurovision-themed window displays and promotions. These were complemented by a programme of music, art and community-led events, with Liverpool ONE hosting over 100 performances and 1,000 performers on a specially created stage in Chavasse Park.
