14 June 2023

Alhambra Shopping Centre: Retail Expansion and Rising Footfall

The Alhambra Shopping Centre, located in the heart of Barnsley town centre, is celebrating not only the addition of two new stores to their portfolio, welcoming independent retailers, The Closet Queen and Hey Potato, but also an increase in foot traffic.

In April, Barnsley-based businesswoman, Claire Swallow, relocated her figure flattering womenswear store, The Closet Queen, into the Alhambra shopping centre. Over the past 9 years, her business has gone from strength to strength, from fledgling days of selling through Facebook and a market stall, to today. In the Alhambra she has 10 members of staff and a unit with enough space to include a spacious fitting room.

Claire said: “We were drawn to Alhambra because of the footfall figures. We get double the footfall we did at previous venues and the Centre’s passing traffic has provided us with a plethora of new customers. The increased space has also enabled us to provide customers with a unique personal shopping experience. The team at Alhambra have been incredibly supportive of my team and business, we couldn’t be happier in our new home.”

Last month, Alhambra welcomed healthy grab-and-go eatery Hey Potato whose pick-and-mix jacket potatoes have gone down a storm with Barnsley locals. Callum Brett, owner of Hey Potato, started out in the Alhambra 12 months ago with Wow Bubbles. Due to the success of his bubble tea store and the continued support from the Alhambra, Callum was able to open Hey Potato, a venue like no other in Barnsley town centre.

Callum said: “The team at Alhambra have helped me with both businesses massively. I saw a gap in the market for something a bit different, a healthier take on the grab-and-go trend. I knew the Alhambra was the perfect place to open Hey Potato.”

The success of his businesses in Barnsley has encouraged Callum to give back to a community that has given him so much. All Hey Potato’s fresh produce is bought from local Barnsley markets and shops, whilst Barnsley students, who make up a large part of Callum’s customer profile, are provided with regular work placements and workshops from both brands.

David Probyn, Alhambra Centre Manager said: “We are delighted to welcome these two new brands to our portfolio of national names and bespoke local businesses. Following the challenges faced in 2022, losing two major brands, and more recently Shoezone, these new retailers have had a positive impact on the centre. In fact, we saw a rise in footfall in 2022, 30.8% up year on year against 2021 and a further 4% increase from 2022 to 2023.”

David continues: “We continue to receive interest from multiple venues about our remaining empty units and are continually looking for ways to improve customer experience. Our latest inclusions being the InPost lockers, an innovative system of postal deposit boxes that allow customers to collect, send and return parcels quickly and easily. With these enhancements, new store openings and increased footfall, we look forward to what the rest of the year has in store for the Alhambra shopping centre.”

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