2m flock to revamped Golden Square centre

Aug 15 2007 by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

Warrington's Golden Square Shopping Centre _320

WARRINGTON'S Golden Square shopping centre has seen a 90% rise in shoppers since its May relaunch.

More than 2m people have visited the expanded and refurbished retail centre in the past three months, a fact that brings hope to Liverpool retailers that they too will enjoy a similar boom in business once the city’s Big Dig construction work comes to an end.

The Warrington centre has undergone a full refurbishment with a £120m extension being added. In the first weekend following its relaunch 175,000 shoppers descended on the centre, three times more than on a typical Saturday or Sunday. So far the shoppers have spent £15m. In the first eight days of trading, more than £2m was taken at the tills and during June shoppers spent around £7.5m, three times previous spending levels.

Golden Square, owned by Warrington Retail Limited Partnership, a joint venture between Legal & General Life Fund and clients of Arlington Property Investors, has attracted many top names to the town for the first time as well as anchor tenant Debenhams which has a 115,000 sq ft store in the development.

The expansion more than doubles the size of the centre to 675,000 sq ft and has created 60 new shops.

Liverpool city centre is undergoing its own massive redevelopment, with the Duke of West- minster’s Grosvenor investing £1bn in the scheme. However, construction work on the scheme, together with widespread city centre roadworks, has caused sales to fall at some stores. Evidence that an improved shopping environment can result in signif- icant growth in trade will be welcomed by the city’s shopkeepers.

Golden Square has launched a month-long festival, television adverts and its own lifestyle magazine.

Each element of the marketing campaign is unified by the “give yourself a reason to go” theme, The excuse to indulge in a new treat is playfully entertained in the TV adverts which feature a young woman on a trail of destruction.

A “Go’’ magazine continues the theme. Packed full of fashion and lifestyle tips the publication is designed to encourage a visit from the 220,000 households in the Golden Square catchment area which will receive a copy.

tonymcdonough@dailypost.co.uk