The third report comes from The Mall Galleries general manager Colin Lang.
He said: 'It is an exciting time for Bristol, with the major redevelopment of our retail heart Broadmead now underway - good news for the city. The Mall Galleries advertising campaign in the spring and new store openings - Bank, Candles & Soaps and Shared Earth - have all contributed to footfall that was 3 per cent better than the national trend in November.
Some of our stores reported a slower start to the Christmas trading period, but the general feeling is that the final two weeks of the year will be very busy. This was manifested over the past weekend, with like-for-like increases well into double digits and footfall up 6 per cent. New stores within The Mall have reported very brisk sales and are delighted with how their opening period has gone. This all bodes well for the future and, when the Broadmead redevelopment is complete, this growth should continue to build.
The Mall Galleries has always been renowned for its strong gift offering and we have had reports from retailers that many of the core lines promoted in The Mall's Christmas Gift Guide are selling well. Other products flying off the shelves include the Cyberman Voice Changer Helmet and the Deal or No Deal board game. Sex and the City DVDs and Friends box sets are also selling exceptionally well - even Jade Goody's Shh.. perfume is going down a treat.
In line with our footfall figures, visitors to our ever popular Santa's Grotto have increased from last year and we are expecting this week to be the busiest yet.
Customers have certainly noticed that there are not as many Sales as last year - although there are lots of offers to entice them in. This all suggests that the coming weekend will be very busy and, with the majority of retailers holding out for Sales until Boxing Day, we can expect it to be even busier after Christmas.'
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