2024 is already shaping up to top last year’s success at Liverpool ONE, with a 16% increase in visitor numbers during the first week of January versus 2019 and 10% versus last year, representing the best start to a year in more than five years.
This strong start to the year follows Liverpool ONE recording its busiest ever Christmas in 2023, as latest figures reveal sales and visitor numbers hit an all-time high during this period.
Retail bosses say the retail and entertainment destination welcomed more than 3.9 million visitors during the festive period, equating to a 1.9% uplift from 2022 figures.
The success goes against the national picture, for which early analysis shows a 3.5% drop in footfall across the country’s retail hotspots, according to ShopperTrak footfall benchmark data, placing Liverpool ONE ahead the rest of the UK by five points.
Year-on-year sales also soared by 5.3%, with entertainment, beauty and menswear proving to be among the most popular types of purchase.
The major growth at Liverpool ONE has been attributed to big name brands continuing to choose to invest in the city, while fresh leisure and entertainment offerings have ensured a steady flow of visitors.
Entertainment has come out on top at Liverpool ONE, with this sector seeing a massive rise in turnover during Christmas, helped by Liverpool ONE’s latest addition Gravity MAX taking up residence in the former Debenhams unit.
Beauty sales have increased, supported by the arrival of Space NK to an already strong offering. Meanwhile menswear has seen a strong performance in sales supported by the upsize of brands such as BOSS and the strong performance from local brands while food and drink outperformed during the festive period.
Iain Finlayson, Estate Director at Liverpool ONE, said: “2023 was a massively successful year for us and we’re thrilled to confirm that it was our best ever Christmas in our 15th anniversary year.
“The period between Christmas and New Year was particularly busy, as families headed out to enjoy quality time together at one of our entertainment and leisure venues.
“We’ve never had such a wide variety of choice over the festive period, so it was fantastic to see so many people soaking up what’s on offer.”
Iain added: “Last year was a milestone year for us and seeing the very strong performance this year so far gives us a solid foundation to continue bucking trends across the UK while providing our visitors the best possible experience.”
