Official - St Albans is a great place to shop!

So ... what do YOU say?

St Albans gets the thumbs up from shoppers, even in the middle of a credit crunch, according to a new study carried out by leading research company ABA Market Research, based in St Albans.

The survey found 66% of shoppers think the city centre is still an enjoyable place to shop, and the markets in particular are very popular; 72% of shoppers have visited the Saturday market, and two-thirds thought the markets were a positive aspect of shopping in St Albans.

The effects of the credit crunch are being felt. 40% of St Albans shoppers are shopping less now than a year ago and a quarter are shopping less in St Albans itself.

The two main gripes were the lack of a department store in the centre (56% want one), and the cost of parking in the city. As 73% of shoppers drive into St Albans to do their shopping, this affects a lot of people.

Alison Bainbridge, managing director of ABA, says: “With some shops closing down in St Albans, and the credit crunch really having an impact, we wanted to hear what residents actually want in the city centre. It became clear that, overall, people were really positive about shopping here, but there was definitely a feeling that a department store would be a good thing, and of course the cost of parking annoys people.”

“At ABA, we always want to know what local shoppers think, and we do pass their views on to the major retailers. Because of this we are inviting St Albans residents to have their say on the leading high street stores. We’re looking for people to be on one of our panels and give us their opinions on everything from retailers’ national advertising campaigns to the window displays in the local branch.”

“If you choose to give us your views you will be paid in cash or entered into a cash prize draw".

It couldn’t be easier. Just register on-line at www.abapanel.co.uk. It only takes a couple of minutes to register and panellists are free to turn down any involvement that isn’t convenient to them.”

Main findings of the research:

• 40% of St Albans shoppers are shopping less now than a year ago
• 31% are shopping in cheaper/discount/value stores more than a year ago
• 25% shop less in St Albans now than a year ago

• 72% have visited the Saturday market in St Albans
• 94% have visited one of the St Albans markets
• 66% think the markets are a good thing in St Albans

• 56% say there are not enough department stores or larger stores in St Albans
• 48% think the pedestrianisation of St Albans is a good idea
• 62% agree the traffic is bad in St Albans
• 55% think parking is expensive
• 73% travel into St Albans to shop by car

• 66% think St Albans is an enjoyable place to shop
• 51% of people shopping in St Albans say The Maltings is their favourite place to shop.

Come on you shoppers - tell us what you think! - ed.

This article was created on Thursday, 19th June 2008. It was last tinkered with on Thursday, 9th July 2009.

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