Freshney Place bucks national retail trend

WE'RE shopping until we drop!

That's the message from Grimsby shoppers who turned out in force and made sure Freshney Place bucked a national trend that has seen the worst dip in January retail sales for 15 years.

By the end of January, 5.5 per cent MORE shoppers had visited the town centre precinct than in the same month last year – despite horrendous weather wreaking havoc.

Snow cut numbers by almost 4.7 per cent during the first week, but spending wasn't frozen for long.

Shoppers Rose Trevor (left) and Celia Dobbs outside Freshney Place shopping centre.

Centre director Amanda Austin described the result as fantastic.

She said: "Freshney Place is clearly the shopping venue of choice for residents of North East Lincolnshire. We look forward to being able to report a similarly up-beat message for the rest of the year."

Shopper Celia Dobbs, 64, of the Nunsthorpe estate, said: "I'm still coming out shopping and my spending didn't really change because of the recession.

"We come to Freshney Place all the time and it always seems to be really popular."

Her friend Rose Trevor, 75, also from the estate, said: "I still spend on the essentials but the rest of the time - I'm keeping my eye out for the bargains."

Read reaction from shoppers and traders in today's Grimsby Telegraph.