The Grand Arcade, Cambridge, has had a strong Christmas season – with growing consumer footfall, new leasing activity and marketing recognised by two national industry awards.
In 2023 Grand Arcade added to its fashion and lifestyle offering with the arrival of Oliver Bonas, Dr Martens, Phase Eight, Candles & Oud, Bubbleology – and started delivery of an Everyman cinema which is set to open in 2024. These new brands, alongside the centre’s pre-existing portfolio of leading retailers, have resulted in an 11% increase in footfall on 2022. This substantial rise bucks the national retail trend, which has seen many shopping destinations report stagnant, or reduced, footfall levels. This growth can also be seen on specific shopping events, including Black Friday where footfall for 2023 was 6.1% higher than in 2022.
In addition, the Grand Arcade team was recognised for its 2022 Christmas campaign at two separate national industry awards ceremonies. Their efforts and innovations with the ‘Dinky Present Hunt’ event programme secured Best Marketing Campaign of the Year at the 2023 REVO Awards in a lavish ceremony at Battersea Power Station earlier this month and a ‘High Commendation’ at the Sceptre Awards in October.
Christmas at Grand Arcade for 2023 saw the shopping centre transformed into a winter wonderland via a series of giant baubles, light fixtures and Christmas tree decorations provided by placemakers Seasonal Group. Elsewhere, magical animatronics wereinstalled, aimed at engaging children and younger shoppers, including a carolling Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer and a storytelling bear.
Throughout December, younger shoppers were able to meet Mrs Claus within a dedicated North Pole grotto – listening to festive storytelling sessions every weekend before Christmas. This unique experience is now in its third year, and has seen nearly 4,000 people booked in to attend in 2023.
Martin Macwhinnie, centre manager for Grand Arcade, commented: “We were thrilled that our 2022 Christmas Campaign was recognised at the REVO awards – we had some incredible competition from across the UK and I felt very proud of our team. Our strong footfall for 2023 is evidence that what we’re doing here at Grand Arcade is making our customers want to visit us and hopefully keep coming back. Christmas is always a special time for us, and we’re confident that we are building on this success with this year’s event programme.”
