Liverpool ONE is saying it will buck all national trends as it predicts its busiest ever Christmas

Liverpool ONE is predicting its busiest ever Christmas as sales head for an all-time high, according to new figures revealed today.

And, retail bosses say they will buck all national trends on Merseyside.

Already this year, sales are up by almost 6%, compared to a national average of just 3% based on data from BRC.

The upward trend is predicted to continue throughout this month as visitors flock to the shopping complex.

Retail bosses attribute the major growth to the continued commitment from big name brands choosing to invest in the city and keeping leisure and entertainment offerings fresh.

Leisure and entertainment – such as crazy golf, escape rooms and gaming venues – have come out on top at Liverpool ONE, with this sector seeing a massive 56% rise in turnover this year helped by Liverpool ONE’s latest addition Gravity MAX taking up residence in the former Debenhams unit.

Beauty sales have increased by 21%, supported by the arrival of Space NK and Charlotte Tilbury to an already strong offering. Meanwhile menswear has seen a 30% increase in sales supported by the upsize of brands such as BOSS, strong performance from local brands including Vincentius, and successful pop-ups from ARNE.

A total of 28 new brands have chosen to invest at Liverpool ONE throughout this year, including athleisure favourites Sweaty Betty and Under Armour, along with retail giant Marks and Spencer, plus Swarovski and Space NK.

Pop-up stores have been more popular than ever before, with North West-based fashion labels Noughts & Kisses and Caramella taking up space, while global giant Tesla also launched a long term pop-up at Liverpool ONE this year.

Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director at Liverpool ONE, said:

“We have had an incredibly successful year which has put us in good stead as we enter the festive period.

“We’ve welcomed more pop-up stores than we have ever done, meaning visitors have had exciting, fresh brands to enjoy on a regular basis. These pop-ups have been a mixture of online clothing companies which have chosen Liverpool ONE to showcase their offering in person, plus globally recognised names, giving shoppers a real variety of choice.

“As a nation, it has of course been a challenging year as the cost-of-living crisis forced us all to tighten purse strings. However, it’s encouraging to see that here at Liverpool ONE, and across the region, we are bucking the trends and outperforming other city centres across the UK.

“We have seen a shift in how our visitors are spending and what they are choosing to spend their money on. Bringing experiences like Gravity MAX to Liverpool ONE and stepping up our offering in terms of leisure and entertainment has meant that people have even more of a reason to come here, in that they can create a tailored experience for themselves which might include grabbing a bite to eat and indulging in some retail therapy at the same time.”

And sales forecasts continue to show further growth for Liverpool ONE as the festive season approaches its peak.”

Donna added: “We have extremely loyal visitors at Liverpool ONE and we are seeing growing numbers of people visiting from further afield. For many of our brands at Liverpool ONE, Christmas is the busiest and most important trading period, so we’re proud to go above and beyond to bring in visitors and ensure they have the best possible experience while here.”