Retail centre bounces back from confusion caused by market closure blow

Liverpool retail site, St Johns Shopping Centre, has bounced back after one of the most challenging episodes in its 55-year history.

Visitor footfall slumped in March this year after Liverpool City Council closed its market in the centre’s upper mall due to £2m-worth of tenant arrears.

This, together with the closure of the Wilko store the previous October, led to public confusion and the misconception that the whole St Johns Centre had closed, causing the fall in visitor numbers.

But now the centre is reaping the rewards of an intensive effort to reassure customers, including finding new income streams, reducing running costs and supporting retailers who struggled for weeks after the market closure, which has seen a five per cent increase in visitors compared with the previous year – an additional 700,000 shoppers over the year to June 2024.

Decisive action by the centre’s management team included a bold ‘We are open’ campaign broadcast on the centre’s huge Ocean Outdoor media wall facing Lime Street, as well as all social media channels. Five market traders were supported to relocate within the centre.

Car park income increased after the introduction of number plate recognition and online payment technology, plus a new car park loyalty scheme offering a fixed, all-day £6 tariff. 

A new partnership was created with a projector company, commercialising the iconic St Johns Beacon through sponsorship opportunities, starting with William Hill during the Grand National Festival.

And a ‘Retailer Support Fund’ was introduced, supporting stores with targeted marketing. 

St Johns Centre director, Neil Ashcroft, said: “I would like to pay tribute to my hard working, dedicated colleagues for working together to overcome the challenges of the past year – St Johns is on track to have a brilliant year after facing one of the hardest times in our history.”