Hammerson centres welcomed over half a million shoppers on Black Friday
Shopping centre operator Hammerson welcomed over half a million shoppers at its centres on Black Friday as consumers took advantage of significant in-store discounts to kickstart their Christmas shopping.
Footfall across Hammerson’s shopping centres in major cities was up 17% on Black Friday last year and up over 30% when compared to the same day in 2009, when the day was yet to feature in the UK as a major shopping event.
At Brent Cross in North London, footfall was up over 50% compared to last year while Silverburn in Glasgow saw a 22% increase in shoppers during the day.
The firm’s retail parks also reported an uplift with electrical retailers at Manor Walks in Cramlington exceeding sales expectations of between 300 to 600%.
Hammerson said the most popular items on shoppers’ lists this year were big ticket electrical items and gadgets, alongside fashion and accessories brands.
David Atkins, chief executive of Hammerson, said: “We knew that Black Friday was going to be popular with consumers this year however the breadth of retailers taking part across our centres and signs of strong trading performances means that Black Friday is undoubtedly here to stay.
“Our centres all saw dramatic increases in footfall, which has kick-started the Christmas shopping season, and we have seen retailers extend discounts for the entire weekend to maximise impact for shoppers. In coming years this date could challenge Boxing Day as retailers’ biggest event of the year.”
