Rochdale Riverside retail and leisure scheme is hailing a bumper year, which saw visits hit almost 1 million, despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
Victor numbers to the scheme in the heart of Rochdale town centre, have steadily climbed since its opening in spring 2020, with 933,000 visits recorded last year.
And footfall in weeks 30–52 last year, a period when retailers were fully open and operating with no interruption, was 538,000, a 59 per cent jump from the same period the year before, with 338,000 visits in 2020, when similar coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were in place.
A crop of new openings in 2021, including high street favourites Nandos, New Look and Dunkin Donuts, helped to pull in more shoppers and Loaded Burgers also opened their doors in the first few weeks of this year.
Councillor John Blundell, cabinet member for regeneration and communications, hailed the success of the development: “Rochdale Riverside is something the council, Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) and Genr8 have been developing for a number of years and none of us could have predicted that its opening would have coincided with an international pandemic.
“Despite this incredibly challenging backdrop, the scheme has gone from strength to strength, with a further 7 occupiers signed and now operating since COVID-19 hit. The fact that it’s thrived in the way it has shows that major operators and high street names see Rochdale as a really attractive prospect for investment and will help us attract even more businesses and opportunities into Rochdale as we continue to build a better borough.”
The scheme has also created 455 permanent jobs, with almost 70 per cent of these being Rochdale borough residents. Further benefits were reaped during the construction phase, with 40 per cent of people employed on site coming from within the borough. Build contractors Willmott Dixon also spent more than 500 hours volunteering within the local area and 22 weeks of work experience was provided for local students.
In addition to M&S and many others, the scheme has also brought in names which have never had a presence in the borough before, including a large, 2-storey H&M and a Next store. It has also brought a cinema, Reel, to the town centre, for the first time in almost 3 decades, while Puttstars mini golf and restaurants like Heavenly Desserts, Crust Pizza and Nandos have also bolstered the town centre’s leisure offer.
The scheme is currently 92 per cent occupied by floor space and talks are ongoing with further potential occupiers. The development, which generates £1.3 million per year in business rates revenue, will cover its costs for the foreseeable future.
Rachel Byrne, Rochdale Riverside manager, said: “We’re delighted with the popularity of the Riverside scheme and it will only get better, with more units expected to open this year.
“Being such a flexible space, Rochdale Riverside now hosts events like the regular vegan and artisan markets and the Christmas lights switch on, which also help to bring people in to support the Riverside scheme, along with the wider town centre and its large business community.”
