Champ Blackburn spent big to win back crowds
BLACKBURN is the reigning High Street of the Year and achieved the title after investing £66million as well as encouraging independent traders.
Work started in 2011 on the transformation of a once-fading shopping centre and the outlay led to a 20% rise in the number of shoppers in its first year.
Now 253,000 people a week visit the town’s shopping area, where independent stores like sewing machine shop Hobkirk, Ainsworth Jewellers and Eve Lingerie sit alongside big brands. Empty shops fill up fast with cocktail bars and a 3D printing project moving in.
Revamp boss Harriet Roberts brought the council, firms and residents together in an ambitious project. She said: “It’s taken 15 years to get this far.. there’s still more to do.
“It was about changing perception. Blackburn’s not a tourist town but people wanted a place they could spend the day as well as shop.”
Free events such as the Heritage Festival and a revitalised 120-stall market helped the centre go “from zero to hero,” she said.