Grand Central hits the million mark
More than a million people have visited the shops and restaurants in Birmingham's new Grand Central in the first fortnight of trading and some are already taking on extra staff to cope.
In the opening weekend alone, Grand Central shops saw more than 300,000 shoppers coming through their doors.
Jonathan Cheetham, general manager for Grand Central, said: "The million customers is just one aspect of Grand Central's success. More importantly, our retailers' tills are ringing and the restaurants are full.
"Furthermore there are even more jobs being created and the feedback from our visitors is that they love the centre, are proud of it to be in the City, and will be returning."
The million milestone was reached last night and numbers are expected to increase steadily towards Christmas.
Some shops have reported a 95 per cent increase on their initial expected sales targets.
The demand for the dining offering has been so high that one outlet has hired an additional 20 staff members, growing its team from 12 to 32 in just two weeks.
Grand Central, which has added 66 new shops and restaurants to the city centre, is surpassing all predictions and expectations in terms of consumer visits, sales numbers, dwell time and average spend.
Sir Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham City Council, said; "The early visitor numbers and reports from traders at Grand Central are staggering and confirm it is a transformational regeneration project for the city – solidifying Birmingham's position at the top of the retail league table.
"The increased footfall, which we hope will continue into the busy Christmas period and beyond, will benefit not only the retailers within the new complex, but those based in the wider city centre too.
"Creating in the region of 1,000 jobs and a positive buzz about Birmingham, it is already very clear the council's move to purchase the former Pallasades complex to help facilitate the New Street Station redevelopment and the creation of Grand Central was a crucial decision for the city's economy and transport infrastructure.
"Grand Central has quickly become yet another essential reason to visit Birmingham and I would like to thank everyone involved from the staff at the various outlets to Grand Central management to all of the visitors for this early success."
