CHESTER’S Forum shopping centre has declared itself a recession-free zone and launched a ‘Smile Thru The Crunch’ campaign, after latest figures showed it was bucking the economic downturn with a massive 3.6% rise in visitors.
Footfall figures for the first 12 weeks of 2009 confirmed that the Northgate Street development was attracting more than 350,000 shoppers a month, despite the toughest trading conditions for decades.
Forum centre manager, Lawrence Allen, has come up with a fun-filled campaign to cheer-up gloom-weary visitors and to try to keep the shoppers coming.
Mr Allen said: “We want to prove that when it comes to the Crunch, the Forum Smiles better.”
“We all know folk are fed up after being bombarded with bad news on the economic front, month after month.
“So we have devised a series of in-centre promotions with one aim in mind – to encourage our shoppers to smile and feel better. Of course we would also argue that the Forum is the perfect place to launch such a campaign.
“After all, the centre is renowned as a value-for-money retail centre where filling your shopping basket is likely to cost you less than elsewhere. So we’ve plenty to smile about to start with.”
He added: “Whatever the economic climate, I believe the Forum’s reputation as a value-for-money shopping destination will ensure its continued success. Our latest footfall figures prove the point.”
