Business is booming at a busy Swansea shopping centre – and celebrities are queuing up to sing the city’s praises as a leisure and shopping destination.
Retailers are reporting a busy half-term week and sales are holding up well as the run-up to Christmas starts.
The Quadrant attracts 16 million shoppers annually and Alan Wallace, the Manager of the Quadrant Shopping Centre, said: “We’re delighted that Swansea in general and the Quadrant Centre in particular are thriving.
“More and more people are coming here, even shoppers from Cardiff, because they enjoy the diverse shopping experience in Swansea.
“Increasingly, people are cottoning on to how wonderful Swansea is with the likes of the One Show and Strictly Come Dancing star, Alex Jones, spearheading the We Love Swansea campaign.”
Alex Jones said: “Swansea deserves credit for the way it has developed into an attractive and vibrant city with a real sense of buzz and energy.
“I love Swansea because it’s one of the friendliest places that I know, with a lovely atmosphere and loads to do.
Swansea City star Scott Sinclair, whose celebrity girlfriend Helen Flanagan has quit her role as Rosie Webster to be with him, is equally enthusiastic about Swansea.
Scott said: ” Swansea is a great place to live and work and I am very proud to be part of the city’s fantastic football club.
“Swansea has so much going for it – spectacular scenery, great restaurants and bars and some serious shopping at the Quadrant Centre.
“Obviously I don’t come from the area originally but I have found it to be a very warm and welcoming place and I am really enjoying living here.”
Alan Wallace added: “I walk about a lot and I see plenty of shopkeepers with smiles on their faces so they must be doing well and I know that there is always plenty of interest from retailers wanting to take units at the Quadrant Centre.
“The mood generally is very upbeat and the feedback we get from our tenants and from the shoppers is positive.
“Swansea is such good place to shop – there’s a nice figure of eight walk that takes you past all the shops once and pretty much everyone finds their way to the Quadrant.”
Lucy Littlejohns is the manager of the Quadrant’s newest tenant, High Street giant Superdry, and she said: “I think we have exceeded head office expectations since opening and they’re very pleased with how it’s gone.
“Business has been very good right from the start at the end of May. Swansea is a happening, fashion-conscious city and The Quadrant is a busy and attractive retail centre so it is working well for us.”
“The opening of the store has created 12 new jobs and those jobs offer a real prospect for people to progress within Superdry.”
Kate Ralph, Manager of Thorntons, said: “The Quadrant has been really busy and I think we’re starting to see the pick-up for Christmas. People seem to be starting their Christmas shopping earlier this year.
“We’ve just had half term as well and there have been lots of people around. People always love chocolate as well.
“There was snow early last year and perhaps people are keen to get their shopping done before any bad weather arrives.”
Sam Rees, Manager of New Look, also reported good sales. She said: “It’s been really good and we’ve been very busy, people do seem to have some money to spend.
“Our sales are strong and I’m really pleased at the moment.”
At HMV where a new technology department has boosted business manager John Hatfield is to take on up to ten extra Christmas staff and he said: “There has been a really dramatic increase in customer numbers.
“The new technology department has created a very vibrant environment and makes the place feel young and fresh to our customers.
LaSalle Investment Management manages the Quadrant Centre. Victoria Gould, of Jones Lang LaSalle, who act as lease agent for LaSalle Investment Management, said: “The fact that the Quadrant Centre has no problem filling any vacancies shows that we are bucking the trend in retail.
“The opening of the new Superdry store in May showed a real confidence in the outlook for the Quadrant Centre and for Swansea generally.
“Since the new bus station reopened in February there has been a marked improvement in footfall, particularly in that area of the centre.”
Superdry took over the former Oasis and Fusion stores at the Centre to which boasts 440,000 square feet of retail space and retailers including Debenhams, WH Smith, Boots, HMV, Clarks, The Body Shop, Schuh and Animal.
Julian Dunkerton, CEO of Superdry owners Supergroup Plc said: “This is an exciting time for us. Swansea is a cool city and The Quadrant a busy and attractive retail centre.”
Superdry manager Lucy Littlejohns said: “It has gone exceptionally well since the opening and we’re really pleased with the way it’s taken off here in Swansea.
“We’ve created 12 new jobs and these are jobs offering real prospects for people to progress within the organisation.
“I think Swansea City winning promotion has also given the city a real feelgood factor and that’s transmitting itself into retail.
“People just love it and are talking about the football and I think they’ve been talking about us too and saying they’re really pleased we’re here.
“The other shops are also saying they’re pleased because it’s meant they’re getting more shoppers in as well.”
Nigel Stopher, manager of Debenhams, the Quadrant’s largest retailer, said: “This is a good place to do business with the new bus station making for ease of access.
“There are also new stores in the Centre and the place is always spick and span and even if it rains and Wales throws it’s best at us we’re under cover here.”
Chris Thomas, joint leasing agent at Quadrant, of Bristol-based independent retail property consultants Macarthur Wilson, said: “The Quadrant has been pretty resilient. It’s got good footfall and a good mix of tenants.
“There has been £13 million spent on refurbishing the bus station and that has helped dramatically and the Centre is well-established, it’s got major retailers, good parking and it’s covered.”
