centre:mk has reported a strong start to 2025, following a successful 2024, exceeding footfall benchmarks across the UK since 2014.
Setting the pace for another positive year ahead, the first week of 2025 saw an impressive footfall increase year-on-year of 20% at centre:mk. Marking 10.8 percentage points ahead of High Street destinations and 11.3 percentage points above shopping centres, centre:mk is said to outperform competing assets due to its unique regional pull.
This promising start to 2025 follows a positive 2024 at the centre. From December 31, 2023 to December 28, 2024, footfall at centre:mk reached 21.4 million, finishing with a rise of 1.5% year-on-year and 2.9 percentage points ahead of the UK benchmark. The destination welcomed over 6 million guests in Q4, with December 21 marking the busiest day of the year, exceeding Black Friday.
Celebrating a successful year of retail investment across 2024, centre:mk welcomed high-profile national and international retail brands including SpaceNK, Mint Velvet, Castore, Goldsmiths and Office. The destination also saw investment from existing and new F&B operators, including Bill’s, Chaiiwala, Cornish Bakery and Starbucks.
Kevin Duffy, centre:mk’s centre director, commented: “From our impressive footfall figures to our consistent footfall-to-spend conversion rate of over 95%, centre:mk’s ability to continually outperform UK benchmarks for the last decade is testament to our reputation as the prime, regional destination. Building on our successes of 2024, we’ll continue to apply our agile leasing strategy and active management style to create exciting opportunities for the right brands, ensuring our occupiers can capitalise on one of the largest and most affluent catchments in the UK.”
Set to be yet another bumper year for community engagement and footfall drivers at centre:mk, 2025 will see the city’s most popular events return to the destination, including Fashion Weekend, Handmade and Vintage Spring Extravaganza and The MK Job Show. Headline sponsors of the Milton Keynes International Festival, centre:mk will join the city-wide celebration, playing host to a range of activities within the destination.
