Tourism boost leads to bumper footfall at one of Scotland’s oldest and largest city centre malls

Stirling’s Thistles centre, which was opened in 1977 and has since expanded offering some 70 shops and cafes despite the loss of Debenhams and BHS, reported a 7.2 per cent increase in footfall for 2023, compared with the year before.

Bosses said the figure was ahead of the combined average increase of 4.6 per cent for the whole of Scotland’s retail footfall. Much of Thistles’ highest total footfall came in times of school holidays and “calendar event spending days”, they noted. The centre also pointed to a steady increase in tourism numbers, aided by the shopping complex being located within walking distance from historic places such as Stirling Castle and Stirling Bridge.

January (18.1 per cent increase, year on year), March (16.4 per cent) and April (11.9 per cent) ranked amongst Thistles’ best months for footfall with its travel, food and footwear outlets performing the best within the centre. The jewellery retailers in the mall have also seen an increase in customers, most recently with F Hinds’ new store.

Centre director Gary Turnbull said: “To look back at the last few years and the knock-on effect the pandemic had on retail as a whole, we’re extremely happy to see that our footfall is steadily on the rise. This weekend is projected to be our busiest of the year, so to accommodate for this, we’re staying open for an additional two hours, closing at 7:30pm to give shoppers ample time to get all of the last-minute bits and pieces they need before Christmas. We’re excited to see that the footfall continues to rise into the new year and are already planning some fantastic ideas to add to our loyal shoppers’ experiences.”

The centre said it would have additional staff on hand to support the expected increase in demand over the remainder of the festive period. Last week, the Scottish Retail consortium said its latest downbeat sales monitor provided a reality check as the clock ticks down to Christmas Day.