More than half a million visit Telford shopping centre since lockdown ended

Management at the Telford Centre said they had been thrilled with its performance in the weeks since the country emerged from the shutdown on December 2.

Centre manager Glyn Morrow said that the figures, which show stores had welcomed more than 500,000 people since December 2, had bucked the national and regional trend.

He said: “It always good to see great results and the team have worked tirelessly to ensure we could welcome back everyone safely at a key time of year.

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"The fact we have outperformed by 22 per cent this last weekend is recognition of that hard work and a reflection of our recent investments continuing to pay off as shoppers vote with their feet.

"Our convenient location as well as the wide range of brands continues to appeal and make a visit worthwhile. A number of destinations are under pressure in these unprecedented times but we feel incredibly lucky that strong destinations like Telford Centre continue to deliver such a strong performance.”

A statement from the centre said that it had outperformed other shopping locations which were suffering from the impacts of the pandemic – and put the success down to the mix of stores, and the new brands which had opened at the centre.

It said: "Telford Centre’s stand out performance reflects its growing regional dominance as a shopping and leisure destination.

"Having finished 2019 with footfall growth of 10 per cent, significantly higher than its peers who were suffering declines both regionally and nationally, the trend has continued despite challenging circumstances with stores welcoming 500,000 footfall since the December 2.

"Telford Centre's depth and breadth of range is undoubtedly part of the attraction for customers with recent openings including Deichmann, Inflatanation, Sketchers, Vagabond and the Dropp. Retailer investment continues as a result and is reflected in moves to bigger, better stores, including the Entertainer and Poundland."

The centre has like others across the country put in a number of social distancing measures, including marked-out one-way systems.

The centre said that several stores will have extended opening hours over the festive period and people can view the updated information at telfordcentre.com