KEY retailers in Liverpool have surpassed sales expectations by reporting “through the roof” figures in the run-up to Christmas, an industry body said last night.

And concerns the new £1bn Liverpool One complex may cause severe problems for traditional retail haunts like Church Street also seem dashed.

New footfall figures show the “old city” saw a 20% surge in visitors compared to 2007. While the national retail sector is reeling from the collapse of Woolworths and problems at coffee dealer Whittard, Ged Gibbons, acting chief executive of Liverpool city centre Business Improvement District (BID) said Liverpool appeared to be bucking the trend.

“The footfall, particularly along Church Street, is absolutely phenomenal. As a result, a lot of key businesses within the business district – Marks & Spencer, Bhs, Primark – their figures are through the roof. They have surpassed whatever they hoped to achieve in Liverpool.

“Year on year in terms of performance against other cities, we're streets ahead.”

BID monitors four “footfall cameras” in Church Street, Whitechapel, Lord Street and Clayton Square.

Analysis of the footage has shown these “traditional” areas of the city saw 19.8% more shoppers in 2008 than 2007. Nationally, high streets saw 6% fewer shoppers.

Joe Morris, who runs the Home Bargains discount chain, which has an outlet on Lord Street, said conditions had been challenging but sales were ahead of 2007.