Retail and leisure complex Liverpool ONE says it is gearing up for its busiest Christmas since before COVID and is predicting rises in sales and footfall for the whole of 2024. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool ONE says it expects a 7% year-on-year rise in sales for its retailers and leisure operators for 2024 with footfall also expected to be 3% higher than 2023.
With Christmas now just a month away, Liverpool ONE is expecting its busiest festive period since 2019, the last year before the COVID pandemic. It is expecting to welcome more than 4m visitors over the next few weeks.
Its sales and footfall predictions place Liverpool ONE considerably ahead of national trends, based on data from Shoppertrak and the British Retail Consortium.
A key driver of the anticipated performance is the ongoing evolution of Liverpool ONE in 2024, with 13 new brands opening in the last year.
These include Montirex, Tag Heuer, AllSaints and Flight Club, while Sephora, Uniqlo and TFG London’s Hobbs, Phase Eight, Whistles and Inside Story will be making their Liverpool ONE debuts in 2025.
Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director at Liverpool ONE, said: “Our achievements this year have set us up for what we anticipate will be our busiest festive season, surpassing performance figures since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As we enter into the busiest time of year for retail, we’re optimistic footfall will continue to remain ahead of national trends – this is a true testament to the breadth of choice and activities we have at Liverpool ONE.”
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In the summer Liverpool ONE’s footfall was boosted by the three Taylor Swift concerts held at Liverpool FC’s Anfield Stadium. It honoured her visit to Liverpool with a special ‘Taylor’s Piano’ that was in place for three days.
In an interview with LBN in February, Iain Finlayson, estate director at Liverpool ONE, explained how the complex, which opened in 2008 at a cost of £1bn, was having to evolve to meet the changing retail and leisure landscape.
“We have to work a lot harder now than we did pre-pandemic,” he said. “There are so many other things for people to see and do and go to. And we are in a cost-of-living crisis – we must never lose sight of that. The money in peoples’ pockets isn’t what it was.”
On the increase in leisure venues, he added: “That is where the growth is. Post-pandemic people want to live their lives and do things. They spent so much time indoors during lockdown so that demand for ‘experiences’ has grown exponentially.”