Footfall and sales hit record levels at Liverpool ONE during Eurovision with footfall for the week up 31.5% against last year and sales soaring 23%. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool ONE saw record surges in footfall and sales in the run up to Eurovision, new data shows.
Grosvenor, owner of the £1bn retail and leisure development, has revealed figures for the period from May 7 to the Eurovision final on May 13. They show footfall up 31.5% on the same period in 2022.
Liverpool One had expected a 25% uplift for the week-long period and it compares to a 7% footfall rise for retail centres across the UK. Footfall for the 10 days from May 5 to May 14 was up 17.3% year-on-year to 680,000 visits.
Businesses at Liverpool ONE reported an additional £19.9m of spending for the seven-day period. Restaurants saw sales increase 78% over the whole Eurovision period. This peaked on the final Saturday with an uplift of 87% compared to 2022.
According to analysis by CACI, Liverpool attracted visitors from five times more countries than usual, with the most arriving from Switzerland, the USA, Uzbekistan, the Netherlands and Ireland.
Domestic tourists also made their mark, with the average drive time to Liverpool increasing by 27% to 90 minutes, significantly out-performing the 39 minute average for UK cities.
LBN reported earlier this week that an estimated extra 500,000 people came to the city during the Eurovision period. Using a formula from Visit Britain that could have potentially equate to a spend of up to £200m.
According to data specialist CACI, 64% of people visiting the M&S Bank Arena, which hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, also visited Liverpool ONE. This compares to 35% of visitors to the arena visiting Liverpool ONE in the same period last year.
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Donna Howitt, place strategy director at Liverpool ONE, said: “We describe Liverpool ONE as the heart of the UK’s most sociable city, and there is no better endorsement of that than the impact of Eurovision.
“The whole city rose to the occasion, creating a welcome like no other, and Liverpool ONE was proud to have played its part.
“Liverpool ONE and the city were united by music, leading to a significant boost in footfall and sales and, just as importantly, a fantastic atmosphere that everyone enjoyed.”
Liverpool ONE’s support of Eurovision included hosting the official Eurovision pop-up merchandise store on Manesty’s Lane. And a number of its retailers and restaurants had Eurovision-themed window displays and promotions.
These were complemented by a programme of music, art and community-led events, with Liverpool ONE hosting more than 100 performances and 1,000 performers on a specially created stage in Chavasse Park.
In a blog post this week, Liverpool City Council’s corporate director for development, Nuala Gallagher, said Liverpool need to make sure it “maximises the global spotlight” to ensure the success of Eurovision leads to long-term legacy benefits for the city.
She said: “The city’s reputation for hosting major international events has long been a major asset – thanks in part to long-term investment in our cultural infrastructure, as witnessed every day throughout the Eurovision festival.”
She added: “The challenge is to strengthen our appeal beyond tourism and further elevate the city’s standing as a great place to live, work and invest in – and deliver long-term social and economic impact.”