Swansea footfall and trade boosted by return of student shopping event

Swansea city centre welcomed thousands of college and university students to its Student Night event on Tuesday (Oct 5), its first major shopping event since October 2019.

The event, which is a partnership between Quadrant Shopping Centre and Swansea BID (Business Improvement District), saw businesses offer exclusive student discount and activations across the city, helping to significantly boost footfall and trade to the city centre.

Within the Quadrant, malls were lined with Swansea’s most-loved brands, creating an unforgettable experience for eventgoers. A Dorothy’s Showbar Drag Queen, Diana D, took centre stage as the event’s resident DJ, while music acts from Swansea Fringe 2021 gave a taste of the city’s best alternative music scene.

Other brands present included Peppermint Swansea, Bambu, The LC, and The Gym, all with interactive activations, discounts, and tasters. The Rasoi Waterfront TukTuk even made an appearance, alongside Coca-Cola’s retro arcade game station. 

Commenting on the success of the event is Quadrant Shopping Centre manager, Lisa Hartley: “It has been fantastic to see the return of Student Night and witnessing the excitement around a retail event again. It has been a long two years since the last Student Night, but there was a real buzz in-centre as students and retailers welcomed back this much-loved event, which is a real staple in the calendar. We loved welcoming our city centre neighbours to the event too, and giving our brand-new retailers (The Entertainer, Rugby Heaven, Moti and The Clothing Culture) a true taste of what it’s like to be part of the Quadrant family.”

Russell Greenslade, Swansea BID (Business Improvement District) Chief Executive said: “We are delighted to bring the popular Student Night back to the city centre with our colleagues at The Quadrant. It has always been one of the most popular events in the retail calendar and it is a key event for our BID area businesses, who enjoy extra footfall. Our students are such an integral part of our activities here in Swansea city centre and it is important that we cater to their needs and tastes.”

Nicola Bridle, assistant store manager at Superdrug, said: “It’s been fantastic to see so many students at the event, giving us a real uplift in sales. In just three hours, we made what we’d usually make in a full day, which is money we wouldn’t have made if it wasn’t for the event.”

Richard Williams, area manager at (Rugby Heaven and Moti), said: “This was our first ever Student Night at the Quadrant, and just our second week trading within the centre. It was really exciting to be part of the event and to see so many activities bringing the centre to life. We attracted a whole host of new customers too, and we look forward to them returning throughout their time studying in Swansea.”

Paula Webb, counter manager at MAC within Boots, said: “It was great to be back, doing what we do best; bringing our products to life through our show-stopping makeovers. We love ‘shoppertainment’ at MAC and we welcomed the event back with open arms. Our customers at Student Night will often stay with us throughout their studies and we made some really great new customers on the night.”

Sion Williams, founder of Retro and Vintage Store, The Arcade, said: “My store is based at The Arcade, and it was great to have the opportunity to host a pop up RAVS store within the Quadrant for the event. I’m a Swansea University graduate and I remember attending this event not so long ago. It was great to have the opportunity to showcase my products right in the heart of the event. We have a real strong following of customers in Swansea, and we are certain that we’ll have gained even more following the success of Student Night.”