A Merseyside town that was once ranked in the bottom 10 worst places to shop in Britain has seen its fortunes dramatically change over the last three years.
Data shared by BBC News showed that the number of visitors to Kirkby town centre had risen by 160% since 2019, the same year the town featured in a poll compiled by The Mirror which listed it as the country’s worst shopping destination. The 160% increase is the highest jump across the whole of the UK at a time when high streets and retail offers have declined in other areas over the same period.
The findings were provided by analysts Placemake.io and Visitor Insights and compiled by examining anonymised phone data from more than 500 UK high streets from 2019 to 2022. In Kirkby, investment in the town centre and the opening of a new retail park are seen as the main factors behind the increase.
