BUOYANT CHRISTMAS PERIOD FOR YATE SHOPPING CENTRE

Nearly 6% more shoppers visited Yate Shopping Centre in December 2011 than in the same month the previous year. In Christmas week alone the increase was nearly 24%.

Andrew Lowrey, Yate Shopping Centre Manager: "The figures are very encouraging especially as many shoppers delayed their shopping in 2010 because of the severe inclement weather. They also show that in addition to drawing back those customers who may have shopped elsewhere during the construction of the new Tesco Extra we have, importantly, also attracted new customers.

"Our latest marketing campaigns have concentrated on promoting the Centre as a whole and these latest figures show that the campaign has been effective.
There was an increase of nearly 13% in shoppers using the Centre's internal walkways demonstrating that shoppers are visiting all areas of the Centre and not just going to the new Tesco Extra store. The Centre is now a destination shopping centre and is more than just a local facility.

"2012 will be another exciting year for us as several further significant changes take place. The first of these will be the start of works on the new Wetherspoons public house in South Walk which is scheduled for 23rd January with completion in mid-May."

A planning application will soon be submitted to relocate the existing toilets in East Walk to the site of the former toilets in West Walk. Once the East Walk toilets are demolished, work will be able to start on construction of the new retail units opposite Tesco in East Walk which will house a Marks & Spencer Simply Food and two other operators. In the interim, quality temporary toilets will be erected for customer use until the new toilets in West Walk are completed.