Peel Retail & Leisure has announced a successful Summer Food Festival at Gloucester Quays, spotlighting over 150 stalls from local operators and uplifting footfall at the destination by 37% week-on-week.
Held in Gloucester Quays’ historic dockside Mariners Square and Orchard Square, the free-to-attend event brought together local food produce, crafts, pop-up bars and live music at over 150 stalls. Live cookery sessions were hosted by TV presenter and author Chris Bavin in the Cookery Theatre, featuring chefs such as Matt Pritchard, author of ‘Dirty Vegan,’ and Josh Smalley, the 2023 GBBO finalist, who demonstrated their favourite dishes. In addition to cooking, there was entertainment for the whole family, including craft stations to create festival wands and bracelets.
As the most popular food festival in the Southwest since it was established in 2013, the Gloucester Quays Food Festival is both an important moment for the region’s calendar and a significant part of Peel Retail & Leisure’s strategy to invest in delivering diverse and compelling experiences at the outlet. The impact of the Food Festival on Gloucester’s success is evidenced by the boost to total sales for the outlet, 4.5% up when compared with the same point last year. The rise in sales was led by F&B growth at 7%, emphasising the quality of Gloucester Quays’ full day-out offer and ability to crossover between outlet and town centre functions for its catchment.
Owen Acland, centre manager of Gloucester Quays, commented: “Gloucester Quays’ Summer Food Festival is one of the highlights in the city’s calendar of events and 2024 gave us yet another hugely successful weekend. With a 37% rise in footfall and a significant boost to sales at the outlet, the results speak for themselves. The strength of the Gloucester Quays community continues to grow, and as we celebrate our 15th anniversary this year, we remain dedicated to going above and beyond to deliver for our established catchment.”
The success of the Gloucester Quays Food Festival follows a milestone year for the outlet, as it continues celebrations for its 15th anniversary. 2024 marks 15 years since Gloucester Quays launched, starting out as an exciting new destination in the Southwest, and going on to establish itself as one of the best performing in the country, occupying a unique crossover position as both outlet and town centre.
