Most of Kent’s towns are holding their own in competition with Lend Lease’s Bluewater a year after the shopping centre’s opening, says the Colliers CRE survey, published today. The survey, commissioned by Kent council, Lend Lease and nine other local authorities, questioned 8,000 shoppers to compare turnover figures with a similar survey carried out in 1998 and reveal the effect of the development on established centres.
Half of Kent’s shoppers have been to Bluewater since it opened in March 1999 and 7% of those surveyed said Bluewater was their main centre for clothing and footwear shopping, although 63% were more likely to visit for special occasions.
However, the centre’s popularity has not damaged the majority of rival Kent schemes, and at some Kent town and city centres, such as Canterbury, Chatham, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, shopper spending on clothes, shoes and other non-bulky items has actually gone up compared with two years ago.
Many town centres have been compensated for Bluewater’s impact by local growth and transport improvements.
The survey reveals that the shopping centre has hit rival complexes in neighbouring counties. The £34m previously spent by Kent shoppers at Lakeside in Essex is now being spent in Kent.
EGi News 03/11/00
