Eldon Square smashes 2025 UK retail performance benchmarks

Eldon Square, Newcastle’s premier shopping and leisure destination, has delivered a standout year of growth in 2025, significantly outperforming national benchmarks as its leisure-led strategy accelerates and sets the platform for an ambitious next phase of transformation, in partnership with Newcastle City Council.

Against a challenging retail landscape where UK retailers saw footfall decline by -0.8% compared with 2024¹, Eldon Square achieved a +1.7% year-on-year increase. In total, Eldon Square welcomed 26.4 million visitors across the year, supported by a bumper Christmas season which saw 5.6 million visits in November and December alone. Q4 footfall increased by an impressive +5.9% YoY, reinforcing the centre’s premier position as a leading retail and leisure destination with resilient strategic growth potential.

This performance has been driven not only by increased visitor numbers, but by deeper engagement from Eldon Square’s most important audiences. New CACI insights show an 8.3% increase in footfall from key customer groups in Q3, including affluent visitors, young professionals, students, young locals and families.

The centre also recorded a 16 percentage point increase in the proportion of shoppers spending in two or more stores year-on-year (Q3 2025 vs. Q3 2024), reflecting longer dwell time and stronger customer connection as Eldon Square’s repositioning strategy continues to deliver.

Total sales at Eldon Square increased by 4.3% in 2025 versus 2024, significantly outperforming the BRC in-store non-food benchmark of 0.9%. In December, total sales rose by 4%, compared with a BRC benchmark decline of -0.5%.

Eldon Square has beaten the wider trend with an exceptionally strong festive period. During BRC’s December reporting window (30th November – 3rd January), UK shopping centres saw footfall fall by -5.1% year-on-year, while Eldon Square achieved +4.9% growth.

Q4 was a particularly strong quarter, with every week outperforming the previous year. The centre saw exceptional success over the Christmas and New Year period (weeks 52 and 53), delivering +11% footfall growth, significantly ahead of the wider UK market, where REVO reported national footfall growth of only +2% across the same period — demonstrating Eldon Square’s ability to outperform both national retail and shopping centre industry benchmarks.

The continued success of market-leading leisure brands has further emphasised demand for social leisure experiences in Newcastle. Flight Club, which opened in November 2025 as part of Eldon Square’s strategic upscaling of its leisure and F&B offer, has had an immediate impact, with the Nelson Street entrance recording a +10.9% YoY footfall increase in H2. New arrival Wingstop also contributed positively to the centre’s strong 2025 performance in its first year.

Alongside Flight Club and Wingstop, Eldon Square welcomed a raft of new openings and upsizes during 2025, refreshing the tenant mix with market-leading brands including Maki & Ramen,NEXT, Pret A Manger, PURESEOUL and River Island. With the new arrivals, 2026 saw 106,300 sq ft of new lettings and openings, complemented by a further 46,185 sq ft of renewals.

This momentum is also being reflected in rising brand advocacy across the region. Eldon Square’s recent TV campaign was rated a strong representation of Newcastle by 85% of North East residents, underlining the centre’s role not just as a retail destination, but as a cultural touchpoint at the heart of the city.

Comparative brand tracking identifies that Eldon Square brand recognition has also increased at the fastest rate of any North East destination, supported by new food, beverage and leisure openings that continue to strengthen Eldon Square’s reputation as the destination of choice for 18–34-year-olds.

This remarkable growth trajectory is set to be supercharged in 2026, as the centre welcomes Freight Island – a landmark 60,000 sq ft rooftop leisure destination. Combining global street food, live entertainment, premium dining and a standalone music and events, Freight Island will be a venue capable of hosting major national and international acts. It will transform city-centre entertainment, create a new UK benchmark in the regional shopping centre sector, and further strengthen Eldon Square’s position as a leisure-led placemaking hub.

In its landmark 50th year, Eldon Square will welcome a pipeline of additional openings, underscoring continued demand from leading brands and reinforcing the centre’s commitment to delivering a best-in-class retail, leisure and F&B destination in the heart of Newcastle.

2026 will see a continuation of this future-facing leasing and marketing strategy, alongside an enhanced stakeholder partnerships programme that links the centre intrinsically to key civic and cultural institutions in the creative and cultural sectors. As it continues to strengthen its investment performance through class-leading leasing innovation, the centre will also champion the dynamism of Newcastle by investing in the city region’s growth.

Helen Cowie, Centre Director at Eldon Square, said:
“The strength of these results proves that our research and data-led approach is working – driving footfall growth, increasing engagement across our key audiences, and reinforcing Eldon Square’s role at the heart of Newcastle. Alongside an enhanced programme of collaborative partnerships with organisations such as the British Fashion Council, regional education partners including Newcastle College and the Newcastle United Foundation, these achievements demonstrate the continued potential for regional retail and leisure destinations in today’s market.”

Kitty Vaughan, Head of UK F&B and Leisure at Pradera Lateral, said:
“Leisure is now a central pillar of Eldon Square’s performance, driving sustained footfall growth and longer dwell times. Flight Club played a pivotal role in this success during 2025 and, in 2026, the combined strength of existing operators and the highly anticipated arrival of Freight Island will propel the centre into its next phase of destination-led growth.”

Pete Cooper, XPE Director, commented: “2025 marks the third year of our repositioning strategy, with a clear focus on execution and results. Alongside our exceptional delivery team, we have a first-class investment partner in Newcastle City Council working in lockstep with us to turn challenges into opportunities. The rewards are now self-evident in the numbers, with further growth to come.”