WREXHAM town centre has experienced a significant reduction in footfall as the result of coronavirus lockdowns.

In its first coronavirus recovery briefing, Wrexham Council said "monthly footfall data comparing 2019 – 2020 and first three months of 2021 shows significant reductions in footfall as a result of the lockdown".

The number of empty shops in Wrexham town centre now stands at 45, ten percent of the 447 available units.

This is actually a slight improvement on the previous year when 11.2 percent of units were vacant.

Empty shops in Wrexham town centre.

Empty shops in Wrexham town centre.

However, if Eagles Meadow and Island Green are included in the figures the percentage of empty shops is much higher. Then the number of empty units out of the available 529 is 121, equating to 22.8 per cent available premises.

The closing of Wrexham's Debenhams store this month has left one of the town's largest units empty.

Empty shops in Wrexham town centre.

Empty shops in Wrexham town centre.

However, there have been additions to the town centre.

In January, New Look announced that its store on Hope Street would not be reopening, with the building looking set to become a Job Centre.

But, after the chain teased on social media that the closure was "not a goodbye" to Wrexham, the chain opened a new store in the former Peacocks shop in the town centre on Friday, May 7.

Graph showing footfall in Wrexham town centre. Image: WCBC

Graph showing footfall in Wrexham town centre. Image: WCBC

Wrexham Council's interventions either in place or in the pipeline to stimulate town centre recovery:

  • A range of grants and loan schemes
  • Marketing campaign to encourage safe visits to Wrexham
  • A review and appraisal of empty properties to identify potential use and acquisition
  • Development of an action plan to bring empty and problematic units back into use. Once the action plan is completed, Councils can bid into a national grant fund under-write the identified interventions
  • Green Infrastructure projects that contribute to the attractiveness of flexible open spaces and supporting other regeneration activity in the town centre
  • Additional click and collect bays
  • Extended free pavement licence period until March 2022
  • Free parking after 11am in all Council Car Parks (with exception of Ty Pawb)