South Wales Evening Post - 21 October 2008
THE fight to stop the drift of shoppers out of Swansea and into retail parks has still not been won. The Evening Post has learned that this July was a bad one for the city with a massive 31 per cent drop in shopper numbers.
It means almost one in three people who were using it for regular shopping visits just the month before gave it up as a bad job.
It comes despite a big £4 million makeover for the city centre giving it a sharp, new look.
That has generally gone down well with the public who say they now see it as cleaner, and brighter than in years.
But it is still not enough to keep all of them loyal to it.
What they really want are good shops, good parking and good roads.
Customer numbers have gone up in some months as well. But the roller-coaster figures don't show any sign of levelling off.
Business leaders say they fear problems some people are still having with negotiating a new-look city centre roadwork is not helping. Thousands can simply no longer be bothered to even try and are heading straight for out-of-town centres such as Parc Morfa and Parc Ffotrestfach in Swansea or the ever-growing Parc Trostre in Llanelli.
It is a double blow for local traders already reeling from trying to combat sluggish sales because of the credit crunch.
The figures seen by the Post do show a lot of support for the work already carried out by both the council and business leaders to improve the city's look and feel.
But problems persist in areas such as the Quadrant bus station, High Street and Castle Square. Many of those quizzed said they were not even prepared to stop and watch the huge giant TV screen recently erected there because they feel threatened by drunks and yobs.
The area close to the McDonald's fast food outlet at the junction of Princess Way and Oxford Street is also perceived as being one to avoid because of potential problems from youngsters who congregate there.
For motorists, The Kingsway, which has seen a raft of new changes for drivers in the last year is the one they now want to miss at all costs.
Dave Kenny, of the Swansea Business Improvement District group, set up to fight the corner for local city businesses and which is behind the latest survey, said the combined effects of the credit crunch and the roadworks were impacting hard on businesses.
He added: " Maybe if we were trying to combat either of these by themselves we could do it.
"But their combined effect is challenging.''
Bosses say the controversial road system put in place for the new bendy-buses — on their way to Swansea next year — appear to have been hugely damaging. They argue that not only do occasional visitors to the city centre find them confusing, but regulars too.
One long-established Oxford Street retailer said: "I know for a fact that people who used to regularly travel in to Swansea from places such as Ammanford, the Swansea Valley and Llanelli regularly now no longer bother.
"They just stay on the M4 and either head down to Cardiff or even Bristol. Others do stay more local but tend to stick to shopping parks. Their biggest complaint is that they don't know where they are driving when they are on our roads anymore.
"And it is The Kingsway that is the biggest problem.''
On the positive side, the new city centre rangers and street cleaners paid for by the BID group are said to be paying big dividends with people noticing improvements because of them. The recent facelift of the area carried out by the council also earns praise.
But worried business leaders say the drop in visitors is still alarming.
There are already suggestions at least two current Oxford Street traders are looking to move out following on from fashion clothing company Gap, who quit their site opposite the BhS store last month.
The footfall figures have been taken from a special camera located in Oxford Street.
A Swansea Council spokesman said the authority would be carrying out its own annual survey of pedestrians at 45 separate points across the city centre in the near future. He said feedback it had received about work to open up The Kingsway was also that it had been welcomed by traders.
He added: "It should be noted that pedestrian numbers on Oxford Street in June were up on May figures by 21 per cent. The council and its partners, including BID, are doing all they can to improve the look and the feel of the city centre.
"However, the overall downward trend in pedestrian numbers recorded on Oxford Street is no surprise. This is an impact of the credit crunch which has been affecting all retailers and retail areas across the UK over the last year or so.
"It's also worth saying the numbers of pedestrians on city centre streets regularly fluctuate in response to a wide range of factors, including the opening of new shops, school and bank holidays, summer discount sales, weather conditions and competition from retail parks.
"A considerable amount of work is being undertaken to increase the attractiveness of Swansea's City Centre and we're optimistic about the future. ''
