St David's 6 Months On

Since opening in Cardiff in October 2009, visitor numbers have soared by 70 percent year on year totalling 20 million within its first six months. The St David’s effect has also benefited the whole of Cardiff with footfall across the city up almost 50 percent in the same period.

Centre director Steven Madeley described the first six months of St David’s as “amazing”. He said: “Sometimes we do have to pinch ourselves to remind ourselves how lucky we are to work here. This is something which comes along once in a lifetime and we have been privileged to be part of it. The reaction of people to what we have done has been overwhelmingly positive in terms of the quality of the centre and types of stores we have had. The two most important measures of a successful shopping centre are whether customers are coming and stores are trading well. The results show that the customers are certainly coming and the stores are trading well and are ahead of budget.”

The success St David’s has experienced within its first six months has been an appeal for new retailers and brands which are continuing to sign up to the scheme. More than 40 new stores have opened since the launch of St David’s in October with new names opening this month including Hollister, Sale Pepe, TGI Friday’s and JoJo Maman Bebe.

“Retailers talk to each other and are spreading the reputation that St David’s has lots of customers and is trading strongly,” said Mr Madeley. “St David’s did open in a recession but because St David’s was so long in the planning, we couldn’t have predicted it. It was a brave move but what was a braver move was holding out for stores we really wanted. It would have been easy to have filled the space but we held out for the brands that we really wanted and that is the strategy we continue to hold. There has been a recession but you wouldn’t always know it in St David’s. Cardiff has really bucked the trend and made a real difference to regenerating the city and providing much needed jobs.

“In the economic climate, some retailers were cautious about opening in St David’s. They knew that Cardiff was good but not how good. The success of St David’s has given them reasons to be more confident and they know this is where they need to be.

“It is interesting to note that the original St David’s Shopping Centre also opened in the heart of a recession in the 1980s but it just goes to show that the business of shopping centres is a long term business and they are here to stay. Our lease is for 250 years and therefore we need to make the right decisions because these will stay with us for years to come.

“Securing John Lewis as an anchor store was one of the biggest successes in terms of the brands in St David’s. It was top of our list and the one we really wanted which got us off to a great start which has continued with the likes of Apple which is a leading edge in retail and has been extremely successful. Top brands are still coming such as Hollister which is very innovative as well as the local independents such as Wally’s and Sale Pepe. It has been great how quickly shoppers have embraced the new brands in Cardiff – using them and shopping with them almost as if they have been here for years.”

Before St David’s opened, sceptics feared that the centre would have a negative impact on the city and draw shoppers away from Queen Street.   However, the city centre has attracted more visitors in the last six months since St David’s opened than it did last year with footfall figures up 48 percent. Within a month of St David’s opening, Cardiff was elevated five places up the retail rankings to sixth place and is now set to move up to fifth.

Paul Williams, city centre manager, said: “The successful opening of St David’s has been a significant factor in attracting more people into the city. It has underlined the importance that this development has had in terms of introducing new retailers to the city and by providing employment opportunities for many.

The introduction of extended trading hours and the introduction of an evening economy have changed the way the people now use the city. The footfall results over the last six months are a reflection on how the city has moved forward and clearly demonstrate the mass appeal of Cardiff as a top five retail destination.” Mr Madeley continued: “Before St David’s, Cardiff was A-list for sport, A-list for arts and now finally it is A-list for shopping which was the final piece of the jigsaw to make Cardiff a world-class city.  “We have seen that our shoppers are visiting us more frequently and we are attracting local customers who didn’t used to shop in Cardiff. What’s more, more customers are coming to Cardiff from further afield such as Mid Wales, Hereford, Worcester, Gloucester and Cheltenham.
“We are also soon to see the first residents move into Hayes Apartments, the residential scheme above St David’s. This completes the offering of retail, food and residential making St David’s a real destination for the heart of the city.”

The first six months of St David’s are being marked this week by the Spring Summer 2010 Fashion Campaign. Fashion shows will showcase the new collections of around 30 retailers between Thursday and Sunday. There will also be fashion pharmacies where stylists will give shoppers a free fashion makeover and pamper booths for free makeovers as well as prizes and discounts for shoppers to win.

Mr Madeley said: “We are working hard to create a calendar of events and to be constantly offering something different at St David’s which includes the very first Fashion Week at St David’s. I would like to think that when customers visit us that there will always be something new for them – whether it is a new shop or something happening in our malls or on The Hayes as part of the experience of coming to Cardiff.

“We have no plans whatsoever to be less proactive than we have been. We will be pushing on all the time to improve the experience of our visitors and to keep the offering at St David’s fresh and exciting.”