Bedford Footfall Continues to Climb as Half-Year Figures Reveal Over 5% Growth

Bedford town centre's footfall figures for the first half of 2017 show a striking increase of 5.3% agains the same period in 2016, with the town on course for a fourth successive year of footfall growth.

Year-on year footfall increased every single month in the first half of the year, suggesting strongly that Bedford and its traders contnue to buck the wider nationwide high street decline in the face of trends towards out-of-town and, in particular, online shopping.

The start of the growth in footfall figures coincided with the introduction of the Mayor's Free Parking Deal in 2013, which saw shoppers given free parking for their first two hours in council town centre car parks. Mayor Dave has extended the Free Parking Deal since then, with more evening free parking now available to support the night time economy, and a free parking option available on every day of the week in Bedford town centre.

The footfall growth sees Bedford continuing to outstrip both regional and national performance.

Meanwhile, Bedford town centre continues to see investment and improvement, with exciting projects on the horizon. Many of Riverside Bedford's exciting attractions are now open, including the return to Bedford of town centre cinema, alongside a series of restaurants offering riverside dining experiences.

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "More and more people are visiting Bedford town centre, and the list of reasons to visit keeps growing. We have high quality independent traders, a vibrant events programme, the new attractions of Riverside Bedford and more. This is all supported by measures such as our free parking deals, which are helping Bedford to buck the trend against a national picture of high street decline."