Over half a million visitors stop by Victoria Gate in first week

Since Victoria Gate officially opened on Thursday October 20th, over half a million people have visited the new £165m shopping centre.

As reported by ITV, 2,000 people were in the Leeds shopping centre within the first 15 minutes of its opening, and in just one hour over 12,000 visitors walked through its doors.

This past weekend saw over 250,000 shoppers stop by the centre, and in its first full week of trading, Victoria Gate welcomed a total of 647,881 people.

Hammerson’s Victoria Gate development is anchored by John Lewis’s northern flagship department store, which represents a £37m investment into the city. The new 255,000 sq ft store has created 550 jobs and is one of the largest John Lewis shops outside of London.

Victoria Gate also features a further 30 high-end retail outlets from British and international brands.

The shopping centre will become part of the new Victoria Leeds retail district, which also includes the city’s Victoria Quarter arcades.

The opening of Victoria Gate has also taken investment in the Leeds City Region’s retail sector to more than £1bn in just five years, new analysis revealed.

Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of the LEP, said: “Leeds City Region undoubtedly stands out as a location that has enjoyed unrivalled rates of investment in recent years and is a truly world class destination for investment in the retail and leisure sector.

“Victoria Gate is a prime example of this with leading developer Hammerson, retail giant John Lewis and a plethora of aspirational brands committing to the City Region.”