Arndale increases footfall despite Liverpool One effect

  Manchester is weathering the storm caused by increased competition from Grosvenor’s 2.4m sq ft Liverpool One, according to the latest footfall figures at its largest city centre mall.   PRUPIM, which manages the 1.5m sq ft Manchester Arndale on behalf of owners Prudential and Capital Shopping Centres, said footfall figures of 23m for the first 38 weeks of 2008 are up 11% on the same period last year.   July and August saw uplifts in footfall figures of 14.8% and 9.3% respectively.   Grosvenor’s £1bn Liverpool One began trading in May and was predicted to have a negative impact on Manchester, which has soaked up leakage from Liverpool in recent years.   But Andrew Foulds, director of asset management at PRUPIM, said Liverpool One “hasn’t made a dent”.   The Next-anchored Arndale has secured 50,000 sq ft of new retail lettings since July.   They include an 8,000 sq ft Adidas store, which has consolidated two former units at the Triangle and Market Street.   The second phase of the John Lewis and Debenhams-anchored Liverpool One, which includes the high-end St Peter’s Lane element and a 50,000 sq ft Tesco store, began trading last month.   Grosvenor said footfall in Liverpool city centre is up by 24% since Liverpool One opened.   CB Richard Ellis, Lunson Mitchenall and Tushingham Moore are agents for Manchester Arndale. Cushman & Wakefield, Strutt & Parker and Tushingham Moore advise on Liverpool One.   david.quinn@rbi.co.uk