WREXHAM has been singled out as a shining example of how to beat the credit crunch impact on high street shopping.
As retailers across the country continue to battle with the recession,Wrexham has been praised by the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
It describes the town as an example to others in its new report, 21st Century High Streets: A New Vision for Our Town Centres.
The report looks at how Eagles Meadow was developed to help prevent shoppers being lured away to neighbouring towns and cities.
Ambitions to create a new shopping area were triggered several years ago when studies showed the town was leaking high street spending to its competitors. The project began when one of the town’s supermarkets, Asda, relocated, freeing up a Wrexham council owned eight-acre plot for redevelopment.
It culminated with the opening of the Eagles Meadow shopping area last autumn.
The report says: “Six months after opening, the town centre is vibrant and busy, with high footfall and spend.”
Cllr Rodney Skelland, Wrexham’s lead member for regeneration and corporate governance, said: “It’s good to see Wrexham being cited as an example to other towns on how to tackle retail issues.
“The council and its partners recognised the need to create retail space that would attract new and existing stores, allowing Wrexham to offer a greater range to shoppers.
“Eagles Meadow has provided a valuable extension to the town centre, complementing the other shops, markets and retail parks.
“As a result, shoppers are more likely to spend more of their money here, which in the current climate is more important than ever to the local economy.”
The British Retail Consortium is a trade body that represents and supports retailers across the UK.
Opinion – Page 14
