Altrincham footfall boosted by ‘Perfect Day’ pilot

Altrincham high street has reported “sustained growth” and an “exceptional” year-on-year footfall increase, after taking part in the ‘National High Street Perfect Day’ pilot in May last year.

The Greater Manchester town was chosen to host the first ‘National High Street Perfect Day’ after it was awarded the ‘Best High Street’ in England at the 2018 Great British High Streets awards, and the event helped boost its footfall by 3.1 percent in 2019, against an average decline for other UK market towns of -3.8 percent.

The increase demonstrates continued growth in footfall which Altrincham BID’s states has now been sustained by the town throughout the last five years, with percentage increases each year.

In addition, it revealed that vacancy rates in the same five-year period also fell from 19.4 percent to 8.6 percent, as the town centre has seen an increase in independent shops, restaurants, bars and cafes, as well as a thriving professional services sector that sit alongside the Altrincham Market and the Market House.

Elizabeth Faulkner, BID Business Development Manager for Altrincham Limited BID, said in a statement: “Altrincham is incredibly fortunate to have some amazing business owners and their teams who are investing so much energy, time and their talent into the town, going above and beyond to deliver great customer service and unique experiences. Altrincham also has a community that understands the importance of supporting their high street, using local businesses where possible.

“It continues to be a really difficult time for the high street, and we are very aware of the challenges being experienced by many. With an incredible amount of passion and partnership working, Altrincham has managed to buck the trend by achieving positive footfall results.”

Diane Wehrle, marketing and insights director for Springboard added: “Altrincham has been the top-performing town in Springboard’s Market Town Index over the past five years. It is a great achievement.”