Record-breaking season for city development.
Birmingham’s premier business and leisure destination, Brindleyplace, marked its best Christmas on record following a 20% increase in visitor levels during the third quarter of 2013, compared to the same period in 2012.
Proving that consumer confidence in Birmingham has notably increased over the last 12 months, Brindleyplace attracted nearly 400,000 people to the estate in December alone, with many businesses hosting their Christmas parties at the restaurants located on the estate. The newest restaurant, Coast to Coast – which opened in December – also benefitted from this increased number of visitors and has remained a real success. Additionally, the increased number of visitors resulted in SACO Birmingham (Brindleyplace based serviced apartments provider) recording an increase in occupancy of 14% in December 2013 compared to December 2012.
To add to the success, in December, Brindleyplace broke the Guinness World Record for the World’s Longest Christmas Cracker Pulling Chain, attracting 749 people to take part. The previous week, Brindleyplace hosted Acorns Childrens Hospice’s annual Santa Run and Stroll which had 496 participants – up 25% from 2012 – raising an impressive £14,000 for the charity.
Lydia Ellis, marketing manager for Brindleyplace said: “Brindleyplace celebrated a fantastic year in 2013 attracting nearly four million people to the estate. Our Christmas period proved especially successful, with many of the restaurants and attractions reporting increased profits and footfall compared to 2012.
“Statistics such as these would suggest that confidence is certainly improving amongst consumers within Birmingham and backs up recent reports highlighting Birmingham’s popularity as a tourist destination. We believe our high quality restaurants and attractions combined with our great location and ample parking is a major factor in this success. At Brindleyplace we also host a number of events throughout the year. We were overwhelmed with the response to our record attempt and would like to both thank and congratulate everyone that took part. We’re now busy planning a number of events for 2014 including the return of our Outdoor Film Festival.”
Brindleyplace also secured Birmingham’s largest letting deal last year, following the announcement that Deutsche Bank will be expanding its presence in Birmingham with 134,000 sq ft office space in Five Brindleyplace.
Looking forward to 2014, Brindleyplace will be welcoming Caffé Nero to the estate in February followed by fish bar and grill, Le Monde, in March. Already this year, leading international legal practitioner DAC Beachcroft has renewed its lease at Nine Brindleyplace until 2019, as well as extending its space in the building.
Lydia added: “With more new restaurants arriving in Brindleyplace over the new few months, the expansion of our existing business tenants and a host of events planned over the course of the year, we’re predicting another great year for the estate.”
