Congleton Makers Market increases footfall in town by 4,000
The new Congleton Markers Market, introduced on the last Saturday of the month, is being credited for creating a massive 39% increase in footfall. On both the April and May Makers Market days, the footfall counter in the town centre registered over 14,000 adult shaped figures pass across the counting line in the pedestrian area.
The counter was installed for free when Congleton was chosen as one of seven towns in the UK to take part in a university led High Street study backed by Innovate UK and the Institute of Place Management. Springboard UK monitors the counter as part of the project and the information is received by the Town Council on a weekly basis.
Town Centre and Marketing Manager, Jackie MacArthur said: “It has been useful to have some real figures rather than just guestimates of the number of people walking through the pedestrian area. The monitor has been recording data since November 2016. The graph below shows that, following the completion of the public realm work, the number of people coming into Congleton town centre has been increasing. The week of the 20th – 26th May was the busiest yet this year and busier than every week last year except for the week containing the Food and Drink Festival and the Christmas peak in December. “
She added: “The average Saturday footfall is usually around 10,000. On both of the Makers Market Saturdays it has been over 14,000. I appreciate that increased footfall doesn’t automatically mean greater spend in the town, however it means the opportunity is there. The more we can do to encourage more people to come into Congleton and see what the town has to offer the better. We want to entice people who are new to the area, or who haven’t been to the town centre for a while to come and discover the town.”
Since April, Congleton Town Centre has seen a new ladies dress shop, a new pet shop, a new café and a new nail and spa bar open, a gift, jewellery and art shop is in the process of relocating more centrally and two other premises are getting close to opening. The decent weather is also likely to be a factor with wet or very cold weather often leading to quiet days.
