Sector Focus
City’s chocoholics celebrate festival
There was a sugar rush in Birmingham following record footfall at Brindleyplace for the city’s first-ever Chocolate Festival. Chocival – which took place in
Central Square – attracted a crowd of over 20,000 chocolate lovers with live music, entertainment, and food stalls offering a range of indulgent and unusual chocolate treats – including chocolate and pork sausages. Alex Perrins, marketing executive
at Brindleyplace, said: “This was our first Chocival at Brindleyplace, and it seems we really are a city of chocoholics as it was our busiest day of the year so far. “Being able to host Birmingham’s first chocolate festival was a great opportunity for us to celebrate the rich chocolate history of the city. “Live music kept the crowds
entertained, and our Cadbury World competition certainly sweetened the deal for Tracy Grant, who can expect another chocolate- filled day after winning a family ticket to the visitor attraction. “Our annual events continue to
grow year on year, and we’ve already got lots of ideas on how we can make Chocival even sweeter in 2017.”
Retail
The changing face of our local high streets
Coffee-shops, jewellers and takeaways have replaced fashion retailers, banks and financial institutions on the West Midlands High Streets, according to the latest PwC research compiled by the Local Data Company. The analysis of 66,401 outlets
operated by multiple retailers in 500 town centres across Britain, found that in the first six months of 2016, 144 shops opened and 189 closed on the West Midlands high streets. This represents a 17 per cent
Burton-upon-Trent, Redditch, Shirley and Solihull, Walsall and Coventry. Coffee Shops, jewellers, American
restaurants, take away food shops and Bureaux de Change were among those growing at the fastest rate in the West Midlands during the first half of 2016. The data also reveals that across multiple retailers in the 32 town
centres analysed in the West Midlands, fashion shops, charity shops,
decrease in the number of retailers opening and a 21 per cent decrease in the number of retailers shutting up shop in the region compared to first half of 2015. However, the data suggest that new arrivals and
recent closures are slowly reshaping the region’s high streets. Six town centres in the West Midlands did see
positive net change in the first six months of 2016, with Birmingham, Bloxwich, Hereford, Leamington Spa, Newcastle-Under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent all experiencing more openings than closures. Wolverhampton had the highest net reduction in the West Midlands, followed by Nuneaton, Tamworth,
Reshaping the High Street: Andy Lyon
recruitment agencies and discount stores have been amongst the hardest hit in the first half of 2016. Andy Lyon, partner and retail
specialist at PwC in the Midlands, said: “Consumer confidence was strong in the West Midlands in the first half of 2016 and this latest data clearly shows the positive impact of Grand Central on Birmingham. “This flagship retail centre has successfully put the
city on the map as a key retail destination. “What we want to see now is a halo effect on the
rest of the retail centres in the regions. “To increase footfall to their stores, it is key for
retailers to ensure their in store offering and price point is relevant for the younger demographic who are particularly high users of online channels.”
Preparing for Christmas Retail Therapy
By Michaela Moore General Manager, Bullring Birmingham
With the busiest time of the retail calendar now in full swing, I am delighted to share with you how we are preparing for the festive period. As we approach our 14th
Christmas in the city and my third at the helm, Bullring is in a strong position with a number of new tenants, many improved and refreshed shop units and ultimately a shopping and dining offer that is unrivalled in the region. The LinkStreet area of the mall,
the walkway between Bullring and Grand Central, has been a particular focus for us over the past 18 months and has seen the area refurbished with improvements made to the
60 CHAMBERLINK December 2016/January 2017
existing shop units and five new kiosk spaces created for pop-up shops. The kiosks created especially for the purpose of housing pop-up shops have proved successful also with a number of brands taking short-term leases to showcase their products to shoppers. One major success story comes from local homeware and art brand, Vincent Van Doodle, which has since graduated to a shop unit on LinkStreet. In the main mall we’ve seen a
number of key tenants invest in refreshing and improving their shop units this year. We’re now in the busiest and
arguably most exciting period of the year for retail and we have a number of festive activities planned throughout the month of December, including unveiling the bull’s iconic Christmas outfit. As we look to welcome over one
million customers a week leading up to Christmas, we’re confident that we can offer them an unrivalled experience teamed with a number of brands that are available exclusively at Bullring within the region. It’s been a great year for the
centre and we’re sure that 2017 will be just as successful.
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