Despite intense competition from out-of-town shopping centres, Henry Street has once again emerged as the most popular shopping location in Dublin, with a higher average spend per shopper than its southside rival, Grafton Street, according to a new survey by Insignia Richard Ellis Gunne.
The survey, carried out at the end of April, included over 800 shoppers and is complemented by quarterly footfall figures and analysis.
One of the more interesting findings of the survey is that 56 per cent of Henry Street and 49 per cent of Grafton Street shoppers had an average spend of between £50 and £100 (€63.50E127).
A higher percentage of shoppers on Grafton Street, 19 per cent, spent between £100 to £249 (€127-€316), compared to 14 per cent on Henry Street. Meanwhile, about 4 per cent of shoppers on the northside street expected to spend more than £250 (€317).
Though analysts had forecast that the city centre would suffer as a shopping destination as more out-of-town shopping centres opened for business, a study of the footfalls suggests that the city is doing better than ever.
This week another shopping centre, the Pavilions, located in the fast-growing town of Swords, is set to begin trading.
Within two years, Dundrum will also have a large new shopping centre, with the House of Fraser as anchor tenant.
According to the Gunne survey, the average hourly footfall on a typical Saturday in Henry Street during the first three months of the year was 18,532; the comparative figure for Grafton Street was 15,945.
Footfalls on the two main high streets has been steadily rising for the last few years, leading to intense competition among retailers for the few premises that come on the market. Over half of all shoppers included in the survey intended to visit both Grafton Street and Henry Street.
The level of people visiting Henry Street in the first three months of this year was over 20 per cent higher than in the same period last year, and 40 per cent more than in the same period of 1999. However, the Grafton Street footfall has dropped slightly from the same period last year.
Since 1996, the year that Blanchardstown Town Centre opened, trade in the city centre has kept increasing. Marie Hunt, director and head of research at Insignia Richard Ellis Gunne, says this illustrates that the suburban centres have had little impact on the city centre.
"One of the advantages associated with out-of-town centres was the availability of parking compared to the city centre, but according to this survey, parking is low on people's list of priorities as more shoppers come into the city on public transport," she commented.
Ed McDonald of the Henry Street Mary Street Partnership said: "I am delighted to note the results of this survey, which highlights the positive sense of vitality that is evident in Dublin city centre. I am particularly enthused to note the evident resurgence of retailing in the Henry Street/Mary Street area."
In line with current trends, 15 per cent of shoppers interviewed for the survey had come from Northern Ireland and the UK to shop, taking advantage of the pound/sterling differential. Women accounted for well over half of the shoppers in the city centre.
Despite the popularity of its northside rival, Grafton Street has not been totally eclipsed as a shopping destination and is still very popular with strollers and tourists. However, there were many familiar complaints from shoppers regarding crowds, litter and a lack of adequate public toilets and seating.
