Huge boost for Plymouth businesses as visitors to City Centre surge by 20%
Plymouth City Centre Company say the figures will come as a "huge relief" for traders
Last updated 14th Jun 2024
Thousands of shoppers are returning to Plymouth City Centre in a boost for businesses as latest figures show a 20 per cent surge in footfall over the past year.
That's according to the Plymouth City Centre Company, who say it's down to a combination of family-friendly events, improvements to public spaces and increased confidence from investors.
Their chief executive Steve Hughes said: "The turn-around in the last year has been remarkable and we are now beginning to see the results of strong leadership and partnership working in changing our high street for the future and for the benefit of everyone.
"The city centre was tired and run-down and almost entirely focused on retail. We recognised a long time ago that things needed to change in line with the changing nature of the high street and people’s lifestyles.
"The City Council deserves huge credit for kick-starting the regeneration with its decision to build The Box Plymouth, which is attracting almost 300,000 visitors a year.
"Since then we have had Covid and the war in Ukraine, but there are real signs now that Plymouth is on the up with confidence and customers returning and a huge programme of investment on the way."
The new figures come as the City Centre experiences a mixture of investment and new openings - including more improvements at Armada Way, The Civic, Guildhall and Debenhams; and new brands at Drake Circus and The Barcode.
Other plans include finding new uses for empty buildings and creating more homes in the city centre.
Plymouth City Centre Company say the recent success of Flavour Fest also provided a huge boost for businesses in the city centre.
A staple of the city’s summer events programme since its inception in 2004, Flavour Fest attracts thousands of visitors each year eager to sample the extensive menu of food and drink from across the South West.
Sofie Taylor, co-owner of Kawaffle - renowned for its sweet and savoury bubble waffles which it sells from a stall in Plymouth Market - said: "We love Flavour Fest. It’s great to be able to showcase our waffles to a much larger audience.
"We always get new customers finding us in the market after the event. They become new regulars, so Flavour Fest is a perfect way of increasing sales long term. This was our third Flavour Fest which is now an essential feature in our year."
James Clark, store manager at Marks & Spencer in the city centre, added: "It was great to have Flavour Fest welcoming so many locals and visitors alike to Plymouth.
"The additional footfall was of real benefit to the business community in the city centre and we were able to showcase the great leisure offer to visitors, too."