Christmas shopper numbers up this year (From Harrow Times)

More people shopped in Harrow town centre this Christmas than last, according to Harrow Borough Council

5:30pm Thursday 17th January 2013 in News By Emma Innes

Harrow town centre enjoyed an increase in the number of Christmas shoppers last year.

In the build up to Christmas the St George’s Shopping Centre welcomed two per cent more shoppers than during the same period the year before, with 948,690 shoppers, compared to 929,451.

During the same period St Anns Shopping Centre also experienced a 1.7 per cent increase in footfall compared to last year.

Harrow Council portfolio holder for regeneration and planning, Councillor Keith Ferry, said: “Supporting the town centre and local businesses is a top priority for the council; they are the economic driving force behind the borough.

“These latest figures show the events we held in the town centre helped to attract thousands more to the town centre who may otherwise have done their Christmas shopping elsewhere.

“We created a diverse and interesting shopping experience for visitors and successfully encouraged local shoppers to remain loyal to their local town centre.” 

Darren Harman, St George’s Shopping Centre Manager, added: “It has been a terrific December for St George’s.

“We saw growth in footfall across most days during December but we saw a dramatic increase in the numbers of shoppers choosing to visit on Sundays.”

A number of events were held in the town centre in the run up to Christmas in the hope of increasing the number of people visiting the area.

Events included the switching on of the Christmas lights on December 1 and a three-day European Christmas market.