The Rock beats expectations

BURY’S new shopping centre The Rock attracted 170,000 visitors on its first weekend.

The £350m scheme by developer Hammerson has created three new department stores, 60 shops and 400 flats in the town.
 
Centre management said some retailers had taken three times more than expected. Primark said more than 2,000 people were in the queue for the store opening.
 
David Laycock, centre director at The Rock said: “We were aiming for 50,000 people on launch day and we far exceeded this which was a fantastic achievement. Months of planning went into making the opening celebrations a spectacle that everyone in Bury would remember and feel proud to be a part of.”

Miller Homes, which is building the apartments, said it had sold 10% of its first phase of 113 flats.
 
The Rock includes anchor stores Debenhams and Marks and Spencer, alongside other flagship retailers including Next, River Island, H&M, and Primark, and Cult.