Research shows Primark can increase a city’s footfall by 7-10%

Salisbury BID has identified research that shows Primark can increase footfall in towns and cities by 7-10% over the year and 48% on the day of opening.

Last week it was confirmed that Primark is to open a new 29,700 sq ft store in the former BHS building in the Old George Mall, Salisbury. Today (29th June 2022), Salisbury BID have shared research findings with Love Salisbury about the positive impact the store can have on footfall in towns and cities.

The Springboard consultancy analysed footfall at 18 locations where Primark had opened stores in the past three years for the Financial Times. Findings revealed that footfall typically increased by around 48% on the day of opening when compared with the same day the year before.

Results also found that over the month as a whole the rise in footfall was significant up 18.3% from the previous year. Over the year, footfall tended to increase by 7-10%.

WARC, a London-based marketing company, says these findings should not come as a surprise, “Since Primark doesn’t sell online and needs to drive footfall, given that it’s a low-margin business that needs to shift high volumes. But it’s less obvious that discount retailers like it and TK Maxx find themselves in demand as anchor tenants.”

Speaking about the announcement of Primark opening in Salisbury, Arnold Catterall, Centre Manager, Old George Mall & Salisbury BID Director said, “Shoppers in Salisbury have been eagerly awaiting Primark for a very long time. Alongside the Railpen team, we have worked very hard to secure such a strong brand for Salisbury, and are delighted to be welcoming Primark to Old George Mall, and giving locals another great reason to visit us!”

Springboard, the retail traffic counters, are the same platform that Salisbury BID use to measure local footfall in the city.

According to The BID, similar to the rest of the UK, Salisbury's footfall is still down by 18% on pre-pandemic figures but is improving month on month. The city's vacancy rates are also below the national average (11.2%) at 10%.

Dan Collins, Business Manager at Salisbury BID said, “As the Springboard research shows, Primark stores significantly increase footfall in the city centres across the UK and this increased footfall in Salisbury will be a massive boost for all our retail and hospitality businesses. It also shows the confidence that national retailers such as Primark have in Salisbury.

"There is a wide variety of both national and independent retail and hospitality offered in Salisbury and Primark will be a great addition to that mix. With Salisbury Indies week starting 4th July it will highlight this variety and show off Salisbury’s unique selling point, our independent businesses. “

What do you think about a new Primark store opening in Salisbury? Send your opinions to hello@lovesalisbury.co.uk.