THE number of shoppers in Wrexham town centre is ‘well down’ due to the Arctic weather.
That’s according to town centre manager Isobel Watson.
She said: “Across the board, although some businesses such as food has maintained sales, other businesses have no doubt been hit.
“People have been taking the advice of the emergency services and only going out for necessities.”
The manager of the Eagles Meadow complex, Kevin Critchley, said that following an extremely busy December period the shopping centre has been ‘quiet’ in recent days.
Mr Critchley said: “The whole shopping centre and the whole town – I would bet that everybody in the retail side has dropped since the snow has been on the ground.
“It’s not easy to come from places like Coedpoeth or Llangollen.
“It isn’t just Wrexham, it’s the whole country which is covered in snow and people are being advised not to go out unless they have to.
“If you have no food in the fridge and you have to go out you will, but people haven’t got to go and buy a jumper.”
He continued: “Why go out when it’s cold and you have got to walk in the snow? People will wait until the weather gets better.
“People come out when the sun is shining and it is crisp.”
Mr Critchley said the first two weeks of January are traditionally difficult for retailers.
He explained that a lot of the stores bought in less sales stock last year and so have had less to sell.
With the recent cold snap the centre has also exhausted most of its grit supplies and Mr Critchley is looking to buy cooking salt instead.
Mr Critchley explained that £1,600 worth of grit has been used in December and January.
This compares to just £950 worth which was used at the centre between November and March the year before.
He said that staff had been working particularly hard to keep the area safe because it is used at all times of the day – with people leaving the cinema in the early hours.