More than one million people visit Black Country shopping centres in Christmas build-up
More than one million people passed through the doors of two shopping centres in the Black Country in the week before Christmas.
Both New Square shopping centre in West Bromwich and the Mander Shopping Centre in Wolverhampton recorded impressive sales in the week leading up to Christmas.
A total of 309,921 people visited to New Square Shopping Centre in West Bromwich and 400,000 took to the Mander Shopping Centre in the week leading up to Christmas.
Richard Scharenguivel, Mander Shopping Centre manager, said: "We certainly had a very strong run up to Christmas at the Mander Centre, with 400,000 people visiting the centre in the final week.
"Many were visiting for the first time since the £25million refurbishment to spend in all our stores including the new Debenhams department store."
The busiest day for New Square was on December 23, where 61,500 visitors attended.
Meanwhile more than 500 people queued outside Next in New Square ahead of the 6am Boxing Day sales.
New Square Manager Steve Burr said: "We’re delighted to have once again broken our Christmas record by welcoming even more more people to New Square over the festive period."
The shopping centre is the biggest in Sandwell and has shops, restaurants and cinema. It is located next to an indoor and outdoor market.
It is estimated 1,050,000 people will have visited the shopping centre throughout December, despite the heavy snowfall experience during the month.
New Square says this is a 'significant increase' on 2016.
Hundreds of people waited outside Next on Boxing Day before its 6am to grab a bargain. But the first eager shoppers arrived around 12am.
In total, around 43,000 flocked to the shopping centre on Boxing Day, with 6,000 shoppers recorded each hour between 11am and 4pm.
On Christmas day, 35,000 shoppers flooded in to pick up a last-minute gift, marking the shopping centre's busiest ever Sunday.
The increase in footfall over Christmas this year was boosted by extended opening hours, New Square says.
Mr Burr added: "The snow did present us with some challenges in December, and this great result is testament to both the brilliant customer service offered in our stores and the great retail mix New Square offers to shoppers.
"Many of our tenants are reporting record sales figures, including Sports Direct and The Entertainer, and we’re now looking forward to enjoying an equally successful 2018, when the centre will also be celebrating its 5th birthday."