The Affinity Lancashire site has reported a significant uplift in footfall following the return of its Artisan Street Fayre, underlining the growing role of experience-led events and independent traders in driving visits to outlet retail destinations.
The Artisan Street Fayre delivered a 21.36 per cent year-on-year increase in footfall, while also outperforming the previous Saturday by 19.52 per cent – highlighting the continued effectiveness of community-focused events in generating incremental visits and enhancing the overall customer experience.
Held on Saturday 7 March in partnership with SPG Events, the market brought together 23 artisan stalls featuring independent makers, food producers and craft traders from across the region. The event was located within the centre’s events space and extended towards NEXT, integrating the activation directly into the scheme’s retail environment.
The activation forms part of Affinity Lancashire’s wider strategy to broaden the centre’s appeal beyond traditional retail through curated events that encourage longer dwell times and create additional opportunities for shoppers to engage with both independent traders and the centre’s established brand line-up.
By introducing artisan producers and local businesses into the scheme, the event also reinforced the destination’s role as a community hub while complementing the value-driven retail offer that defines the outlet centre model.
Loraine Atkin, Centre Manager at Affinity Lancashire, commented: “Events such as the Artisan Street Fayre play a key role in our strategy to create compelling reasons to visit while supporting local traders and independent businesses. By bringing regional artisan makers into the centre, we’re able to introduce a fresh, experience-led element that resonates strongly with the local community and complements our existing retail offer. The strong uplift in footfall demonstrates how well-curated, community-focused activations can drive visitation, increase dwell time and contribute positively to overall centre performance.”
