Shrewsbury enjoys busiest Saturday for years

Visitor numbers were at their highest for a Saturday in August or September since footfall cameras were installed in 2016, with a combination of successful town centre events being credited for the upturn. 

Loopfest, a music festival in various pubs and bars across Shrewsbury, an Alice in Wonderland virtual escape room and a farmer’s market in The Square all took place on Saturday, bringing thousands of people into the town centre. 

Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, said the town centre saw its highest footfall recorded since the pandemic - and the highest ever recorded in August or September. 

He said: “Anyone who was in Shrewsbury would surely agree the atmosphere was fantastic, and the town centre was really busy. 

“Loopfest, which we were delighted to support with an Original Shrewsbury grant, was a huge success, with all of the venues reporting excellent sales, and the Alice in Wonderland event attracted people from across the region. The farmer’s market is always popular, and the combination of these events brought even more people into the town centre. 

“Footfall figures were brilliant, and crucially our members have told us they saw plenty of customers who were spending money - many businesses said it was the busiest day they had seen for some time.” 

Michelle Gilchrist, owner of White Lotus Living at the top of Wyle Cop, said her shop was extremely busy on Saturday. 

“The centre of town was absolutely buzzing on Saturday, and we had a really busy day,” she said. “It was fantastic to see so many people in Shrewsbury, which really shows the benefit of exciting events taking place in the town centre.” 

Ed Potter, Shropshire Council's Cabinet member for economic growth, said: “With all our market towns our aim is to create the best possible environment for each town centre and its businesses to prosper, so It’s brilliant to see Shrewsbury doing so well and proving so popular as we emerge from the pandemic.”