Folk Festival gives a ‘big boost’ to Shrewsbury trade

The town enjoyed one of its busiest trading times of the year during the fourth annual Shrewsbury Folk Festival which attracted a crowd of 7,000 people from all over the country.

John Hall, who is a committee member of Shop in the Loop and runs Write Here in the town’s High Street, which sells pens, cards and gifts, said that the event definitely boosted business.

“Even though the festival is held at the county showground a huge number of visitors come into the centre of Shrewsbury – we definitely saw an increase of around 25% – 30% in footfall which equates to a substantial rise in trade, bringing in thousands of extra pounds into the town as a whole.

“The town was buzzing and the feedback with have received shows that many of our retailers, cafes and restaurants benefited,” John said.
Speaking at the festival, Shrewsbury Mayor Keith Roberts said that the town council supported a shuttle bus which transported visitors from the showground into the centre of town.

“This event definitely helps Shrewsbury’s economy and its international profile as it is broadcast around the world live on the internet.”

Kate Gittins, who runs the town’s market hall, reported that trade was extremely brisk during the festival and Michelle Jamie, who owns two Wysteria Lane shops in the town, said that the weekend was their busiest of the year.

She commented: “The folk festival is without a doubt one of the best local events for bringing visitors into the town itself – it is great for Shrewsbury and we saw our customer numbers increase by around a quarter.”