Drake Circus celebrates best Christmas in years

It was a very merry Christmas at Drake Circus and The Barcode with visitor numbers even higher than the pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019, and the centre enjoying its busiest day since 2017 on the final Thursday before Christmas (22nd December).

The city’s leading shopping and leisure destination has revealed that its retailers also reported an uplift in sales compared with last year’s festive period, with stores across jewellery, cosmetics and sportwear all having particularly strong figures as shoppers looked to get gifts for loved ones or treat themselves to a bargain in the Boxing Day sales.

Restaurants, cafes, and leisure venues at The Barcode were also busy as friends and families enjoyed the return to a normal festive period following the pandemic, visitors could take advantage of the wide range of food, drink and entertainment options including recent openings Boom Battle Bar and Las Iguanas, as well as enjoy new releases like Avatar: The Way of Water showing in the IMAX and 4DX screens at Cineworld.

Greg Lumley, centre director at Drake Circus and The Barcode, said: “Against a very challenging backdrop, we’re really pleased with our Christmas period, with footfall up 44% on last year and 10% on 2019. We’re home to a broad selection of retailers – both in terms of price point and the size of their business, supporting local independents and some of the nation’s biggest brands – and we know how important this festive season was for all of them.

“It’s the first ‘real’ Christmas we’ve had for years, and we certainly saw evidence of people going the extra mile to celebrate with their loved ones – whether that was dining out, spending quality time together, or buying an extra special gift.

“We’re looking forward to continuing to enhance our offering for customers throughout this year and are excited to confirm a number of new openings across Drake Circus and The Barcode in the coming weeks.”

For more information on what’s on at Drake Circus and The Barcode visit: https://www.drakecircus.com/.