A BUSINESS chief has admitted Andover High Street has fallen behind its rivals after newly released figures revealed winter footfall has dropped by nearly a third since 2013.

Town centre manager Chris Gregory told the Advertiser the town has lost ground to the likes of Basingstoke and Winchester over the last three years.

His comments come after figures, released to the Advertiser, revealed that pre-Christmas footfall has dropped by nearly 100,000 since 2013.

In that year footfall of nearly 320,000 was recorded over the months of October, November and December.

However the figure plummeted to just 227,000 by Christmas 2014 – a year-onyear drop of more than 28 per cent.

Asked to explain the dramatic fall since 2013, Mr Gregory, who took on the role as town centre manager in June, 2014, said: “I’m not entirely sure.

“There has been a change in consumer patterns and people are shopping more in places like Basingstoke.

Andover Advertiser:

“What people have to remember is that Andover is not a Christmas shopping destination like Winchester or Basingstoke.

“Maybe the opening of new shops and new businesses in these places has had an impact.

“I would suggest somewhere like Basingstoke upped their shopping offer (in 2014). Certainly other areas have been pulling away.”

Asked if he was worried by the figures, he replied: “Yes it’s a concern.”

One suggestion put forward to explain the downward spiral is Tesco’s decision to pull out of the Chantry Centre in 2014.

The supermarket giant, which still operates four branches in Andover, vacated the unit after its lease ran out in June that year.

However, the figures suggest otherwise, with footfall remaining relatively steady for the remaining quarters.

Although year-on-year footfall dropped dramatically in winter 2014, the figures for January, February and March 2015 rose slightly when compared to 2013.

The pre-Christmas footfall for 2015 also levelled out when compared to the drop of 2014, though there was still a small drop of around 0.7 per cent - to 226,000.

Despite the downward trend, the figures show there have been signs of growth in 2016.

Year-on-year footfall has increased in the first two quarters of this year, including a five-per-cent rise in April, May and June.

Retail vacancy rates have also remained under 10 per cent for the first part of this year, which is lower than in both 2013 and 2014 and lower than the national average.

Mr Gregory, who has recently asked council officials to extend his contract beyond May, 2017, said: “The town centre has to continue to evolve.

“The figures are a concern but it appears the town seems to be taking steps to address it.

“People home in on what Andover doesn’t do and we need to engage people on what the town achieves.”

The town centre manager also backed plans for Business Improvement District (BID) as a way of revitalising the town centre.

He believes a new BID could finance new monitoring systems in the town centre, to allow for a better reading of High Street footfall.

Andover Advertiser:

Test Valley Borough Council’s current infrared system, located near the Guildhall, only tracks movement between the upper and lower parts of the High Street.

Economic portfolio holder, councillor Peter Giddings, said: “The data we receive from the counter is sufficient to give us an indication of the overall footfall trends.

“However, we continue to consider the need for more detailed monitoring against the cost implications of introducing a new system.

“Footfall figures are declining nationally and Andover is not immune to the impact of online shopping.

“However, the vacancy rates in the town centre are lower than the national average, which is good news.

“The Andover Vision project is exploring ways to increase footfall in the town centre and we continue to run events in the town to help attract shoppers and visitors.”

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