Cheshire Oaks outlet village has announced its Christmas Corner is to run until Sunday (January 8).
Nestling under the centre’s giant Christmas tree, the largest walk-through artificial tree in Europe, the corner has been offering an après theme with a carousel, a German bar selling beers and gluhwein, a festive swing grill, hot chocolate, crepes, pick and mix and much more.
The weekend will mark the end of a busy two months at the centre which had extended opening hours until 9pm in November and 10pm in December. Shoppers flocked through the malls during the evenings taking advantage of the 145 shops and eateries.
Centre manager Kenny Murray said: “Still the UK’s first and largest designer outlet, McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cheshire Oaks proudly boasts over a quarter-million square foot of retail space making it the region’s leading destination for shopping this Christmas.”
Special events saw an exclusive shopping weekend with a VIP lounge, the switch on of the iconic tree and even a book signing with the godfather of Italian cooking Antonio Carluccio.
The management of the centre has been keeping a close eye on traffic after a car park nightmare that left shoppers waiting to leave for up to four hours.
Drivers were left stuck in congestion after an exit slip road was closed following an incident on the nearby M53. This left shoppers furious with many taking to social media to vent their frustration.
Mr Murray said: “The M53 roundabout and surrounding road network which services the centre experienced significantly high traffic volume, partly due to an accident in the nearby area, which caused congestion for our customers. Our car parking and security teams were within the car parks throughout the day filtering and managing traffic.”
It is thought Boxing Day and the bank holiday Tuesday did not create as many issues on the roads as last year with Ellesmere Port police asked drivers to follow instructions from the 30 strong Cheshire Oaks traffic team.
