No signs of credit crunch at Leeds Shopping Week

Japan, check; Brazil, check; next on the business trips list was Leeds - OK, not quite as exotic as some of my past destinations, but as I always welcome a chance to get out of stinking London, I jumped at the chance of a trip to the north of England.

For those of you who weren’t aware, last week was Leeds Shopping Week, and I was invited to attend the “Shopping Affairs” in the lovely Victoria Quarter.  Although I am quarter Yorkshire (as my Grandma was from Leeds), I have only been there once before on a visit to see Leeds-based designer-maker Andrew Geoghegan, so I was interested to see more of the city and its shopping offer having heard so many good things.

And I wasn’t disappointed - the Victoria Quarter is a beautiful arcade, hosting Georgian Grade II listed buildings and covered with a glass roof. But it’s not just style over substance - there is a great selection of jewellery retailers inside, including Links of London, Folli Follie, Thomas Sabo, Azendi, Carat and Swarovski as well as independents Philip Stoner, Yorkshire Jewellery and Berrys.

In addition to the scantily-clad men and women dressed as angels on stilts and performances from a Frank Sinatra impersonator, shoppers were treated to special discounts with retailers throughout the centre, and many gave out wine just to loosen those purse strings a little more. Some great business was being done across the board - and it was clear people were spending, not just looking, as a parade of men followed their wives and girlfriends and got increasingly loaded up with shopping bags.

In times of recession and cutbacks in spending, events such as these remind people of the pleasures of shopping. Shopping centres that are struggling to attract spenders should look to these events and wonder why they haven’t thought of them too.