9:25am Thursday 5th January 2006
By Jill Harding
STORES in Salisbury bucked the trend when Christmas shopping gave way to New Year sales in one of the toughest years for the retail industry.
Despite shops nationwide reporting a severe downturn in trade, and doom and gloom predicted for the high street, many south Wiltshire retailers rang up impressive sales.
In the four weeks before Christmas, about 540,000 customers visited the Old George Mall a seven per cent increase on last year.
More shops than ever before were open on Boxing Day, and more than 10,000 shoppers competed for bargains. And on December 27 and 28, an estimated 42,000 people crowded into the mall 13 per cent more than in the same period a year ago.
Manager of the Old George Mall Jon Osgood said the closure of the troubled Castlepoint shopping centre in Bournemouth, for safety reasons, had accounted for some of the increase in trade, but he said there were many other reasons why shoppers chose Salisbury.
"This also shows that Salisbury has the right retail mix that people are looking for," he said.
"The city centre of Salisbury is managed very well people are able to park and, despite what they might think, we don't have the same traffic problems as other cities. Shoppers are telling us there is enough choice in Salisbury that they can do all their shopping here without having to travel further afield."
Bargain-hunters even dragged themselves out of bed on Tuesday to queue outside clothes shop Next before its sale got under way at 5am.
"There were people queuing from about four in the morning," said Mr Osgood, who added that he was "pleasantly surprised" with the festive footfall in the city centre, after dire predictions about the fate of the retail sector.
"Luckily, in Salisbury, we don't seem to suffer the worst of what is happening nationally," he said. "There is no doubt that internet shopping has had a huge impact but I'm glad that retailers here have had a good year and hope it will continue."
Independent traders and market stalls also saw a steady stream of shoppers, and the late-night shopping events in the weeks before Christmas were heralded a success.
Market superintendent Peter Hutton said: "We were lucky with the weather, which meant people came out to shop and the car parks were full.
"Something we did this year that was particularly successful was having stalls in the Market Square from noon on late-night shopping days.
"Some stalls were our regular traders and others sold Christmas presents and toys. This worked very well and it is something we would like to expand in future."
However, not all Salisbury's shops will survive the retail downturn, as national chains were hit by tough trading conditions.
Film and music retailer MVC, in the Cross Keys shopping centre, is having a closing-down sale after administrators were called in. The company said competition from the internet and supermarkets and an increase in piracy caused its troubles.
Unwins off-licence, in Queen Street, also closed as the company went into receivership. Thresher has taken over a number of the stores, which it hopes to reopen in the new year.
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