Out of Town Retailing Case Study: The Trafford Centre

Out of Town Retailing Case Study: The Trafford Centre

1. Background information

   • Opened on the 10th September 1998
   • It is the 6th largest shopping centre in the UK
   • Nearly 5.5 million people (10% of the UK's population) live within 45 of the centre
   • The planning process was one of the longest ans most expensive in the UK
   • Construction took 27 months costing approximately £600 million, approximately £750 million as £750 million as of 2012

2. Retail

   • In 2005, 29.4 million people visited the centre
   • Average footfall of around 35 million a year
   • 280 shops and services
   • Europe's largest food court - 1,600 seats with 60 restaurants, cafes and bars
   • 18-lane ten pin bowling ally
   • Laser Quest arena
   • 20 screen cinema - UK's biggest cinema with 28,500 visitors a year
   • Over 11,500 car parking spaces
   • Retail: 185,000m2
   • Leisure: 16,258m2
   • Dining:13,935m2
   • It is indoors and air conditioned to protect customers all year round
   • It has long opening hours - Shops are open until 10pm Monday to Friday, 8pm on Saturday and 6pm on Sunday

3. Future Expansion

   • Immediate plans include constructing a roof over Barton Square and expanding the John Lewis ans Marks & Spencer shops
   • Long-term plans include expanding Barton retail space, building retain areas on unused land and attracting retailers that currently don't have a presence such as Primark
   • CSC applied for planning application to increase retail space on the 3rd floor in Barton Square from 18,500m2 to 28,966m2 in September 2011 which would increase the Trafford Centre's retail size to approximately 195,00m2

4. Transport

   • Situated off the M60
   • Over 350 coach parking spaces
   • Numerous bus routes that go direct from Manchester to the Trafford Centre
   • The Trafford Centre encourages visitors to use public transport to reduce congestion and to be more environmentally friendly
   • Future Transport
     • A Manchester Metrolink line and station could be constructed in the near future. Metrolink and the local authorities have declared that the link must be at least in part privately funded by developers.
     • Planning permission was granted for the construction of a 600 meter (2,000 ft) canal linking the Trafford Centre with the Manchester Ship Canal in 2006, allowing the introduction of a water taxi service to and from Salford Quays

5. Impacts of the Trafford Centre

   • Positive impacts
     • The Trafford Centre supports local community projects and charities for example the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, through funding donations
     • The centre provides work experience for local school students studying retail business
     • 8,000 people are employed there and they also receive benefits such as health care and childcare vouchers
     • The Trafford Centre is growing, so that it offers a wider range of services, which attracts a more customers and bring more economic benefits like jobs. For example, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre opened in 2010
   • Negative Impacts
     • Most visitors drive to the centre, this causes more congestion and air pollution, particularly at busy periods such as Christmas.
     • The Trafford Centre has had an impact on shpping in surrounding towns. Fewer people go to these town centres to shop or for leisure activities because they cannot compete with the advantages offered by the Trafford Centre (eg: free car parking spaces). Altrincham, a local market town in Trafford suffered particularly badly, 37% of shops were vacant in 2010 (nearly 3 times the national average of 13%)
     • All of the outlets are chain stores which are too expensive for local or independent businesses to rent