Management at Liverpool’s St Johns Shopping Centre say business is beating national and regional trends.
Centre director Neil Ashcroft said: “The first two months of the year have been really buoyant and we’ve seen increases against all the measures at the Centre.”.
Store sales were up 32% in February, compared with the previous year. And the Centre beat national and regional footfall trends: total footfall last month was up 5.3% against February 2023, which is ahead of the national average of 2.9%. Car park usage has also increased – up 17% compared with 2023 figures.
Neil continued: “There has been plenty of interest from retailers who want to come into the Centre, with several new businesses taking units. We have recently welcomed Seoul Plaza – a Korean supermarket, which is doing very well and attracting a wide demographic of shoppers – The Optical Shop which offers both NHS and private optician services and Caffe Nero for those who are after award-winning Italian coffee and good food.”
The closure of the neighbouring Council run Market, announced this week, will not affect the Centre. Neil added: “We were sorry to hear of the closure of the market given St Johns long association with it but we know it has been struggling for some time despite the Council’s investment in recent years.
“We are open to trying to find suitable space within the scheme for displaced market traders and will be working closely with Liverpool City Council to explore alternative uses for the market hall to ensure an important part of the city is brought back into use as quickly as possible with an exciting and appropriate offer.
‘St Johns Shopping Centre has been here for 55 years and we are committed to our community, committed to our fantastic collection of over 100 retailers including independent and national brand stores, and committed to a bright future for this centre at the heart of the city.”
