St David's - One Year On

22nd October 2010

St David’s celebrates its first anniversary today as it announces it has exceeded target footfall and sales targets.

Shoppers at the Cardiff fashion destination have spent upwards of £1m a day at St David’s with visitor numbers within the first year topping 36m – five million more than initial projections – and putting it within the top three busiest city shopping centres in the UK. The new figures reveal that the footfall within St David’s has risen by 65 percent year on year from 22m before the extension to the shopping centre opened.

Steven Madeley, centre director of St David’s, said: “We had high expectations for our first year of trading at the new St David’s but the fact that we have exceeded our targets is fantastic. We had projected for 31m visitors within the first 12 months but we have had more than 36m through our doors.”

St David’s Partnership, which invested £675 million into the expansion, opened the new addition to the centre in October 2009 with 51 new stores. The number of stores has more than doubled since the opening, and there are at least 10 new stores which will open at the 1.4 million sq ft centre prior to Christmas. St David’s has introduced a staggering 63 new stores to Wales including retailers such as Apple, Hollister and Guess, with more exciting brands to be announced soon

Mr Madeley said: “The retail landscape within Cardiff has been transformed and now there is more than ever for our shoppers. Part of the success of St David’s has been due to the strength of the brands, they are clearly the brands that people want. Before St David’s, there wasn’t the room or opportunity for new retailers to come to the city and they gave up trying. The demand was there which gave us the confidence to build St David’s. By creating new, vibrant retail space, we have opened the door for these retailers to come to Wales for the first time and also for existing retailers to grow and expand into larger stores. 

“There are a number of stores in St David’s which are the top performers in the UK for their brand. Retailers talk to each other and are spreading the message about the strength of Cardiff. When we approach new retailers, all we need to do is invite them to Cardiff and they can’t fail to be impressed by St David’s, its performance and the city as a whole.”

St David’s has drawn more people to Cardiff with annual city footfall records rising by a third and spend increasing by £250m in the year since the shopping centre opened.

Paul Williams, city centre manager, said: “St David’s has made an enormous contribution to the city in its first year, footfall has increased by a third, sales have grown by approximately a quarter over the period. The experience of shopping in Cardiff is recognised as being one, that once you’ve visited you have to come back for more, the combination of the newness of St David’s coupled with the overall offer that’s available through the established retail areas of Queen Street and the Arcades is the best in the country.

“New brands have arrived in the city which clearly underlines how successful St David’s has been in attracting the best that’s available in the UK and Europe, enabling Cardiff to claim the number six retail destination in the UK.”

Rodney Berman, leader of Cardiff Council, said: "St David’s first year has been a significant one both for the shopping centre and the city. With St David’s attracting more than £250 million of new annual spending to Cardiff's city centre, it is clear that the development has enabled Cardiff to stay ahead in the current economic climate. The city centre has significantly moved forward and we now have a mass appeal as a leading retail destination with people from far afield such as Mid Wales, Hereford, Worcester, Gloucester and Cheltenham, who didn’t used to shop in Cardiff, visiting us more frequently.

“The reaction of people to St David’s in the last 12 months has been overwhelmingly positive in terms how the city centre now looks and the types of stores we have. It has been a magnificent first year and long may the success continue.”

Mr Madeley continued: “People are shopping in the whole city which is something we always intended – we wanted to become part of the fabric of Cardiff. It is fantastic to see those who took full advantage of St David’s opening by refreshing their stores before we opened to really up their game. It has made Cardiff as a whole a better, more compelling visitor destination.”

St David’s has strong aspirations for its second year of trading which includes continuing to bring big brands to Cardiff and to rise to the fifth top shopping destination in the UK in the Experian retail rankings.

Mr Madeley said: “Cardiff already accelerated up five places in the retail rankings within a month of launch – from 11th to 6th. It is now our aim to reach fifth position and we expect to be there within the next year to make Cardiff one of the strongest retail cities in the country. We are already the third busiest city shopping centre in the UK and our target is to reach the top. Our catchment has already grown with more people than ever choosing to shop with us who traditionally would have travelled to London, Bristol, Reading and through the South West. As Cardiff’s reputation continues to grow, we will see more people from further afield including tourists coming to the city for shopping city breaks especially with our airport links.

“We have achieved a lot in our first year but the journey continues. We have firmly established St David’s as a strong fashion destination with brands such as Hollister, Springfield, GStar, Cult as well as the designer retailers including Kurt Geiger, Radley and Hugo Boss. Over the next year, the breadth of the offering will widen with more specialist stores on our shopping list. For instance, we are about to open a Clas Ohlson store and Modelzone and perhaps people wouldn’t expect to see those brands in a shopping centre. There will be some interesting names to come – from beauty to homeware – with everyone being able to find something they like.”

Shopping habits in Cardiff has changed since St David’s opened, partly due to the number of new stores and brands along with the introduction of late night shopping.

Mr Madeley said: “There are more people coming to the city now, which is demonstrated in our footfall figures, but they are also staying longer and spending more. Consumer behaviour has changed and St David’s and Cardiff has become a destination of choice for visitors who now have more stores available to them. This has been our first year of extended opening hours which takes a while for shoppers to become accustomed to. Now visitors are shopping later in the afternoons without having to rush before the shops close which is especially the case when they are looking to make big purchases in a more relaxed environment. The cheap evening car parking together with the Eastside restaurant quarter has encouraged more people to stay in Cardiff after shopping to have a meal and experience what the city has to offer – from the theatres and shows to the cinema, restaurants and bars. We have also introduced an events programme which has so far included a food festival, a children’s play event and a student lock-in which have attracted thousands of visitors. Our next will be on October 30 and 31 when we are planning a fashion weekend to celebrate our anniversary with fashion shows, competition and exclusive discounts. We want people in the city to get involved with us and to be part of the community.”

For more information on the St David’s Anniversary Fashion Weekender, visit www.stdavidscardiff.com

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