YATE is ‘leagues ahead’ of other shopping centres across the country, according to its owners who are celebrating a huge increase in visitors.

Dominion Corporate Trustees owns a long list of shopping centres in the UK but says Yate has been the most successful by far in the past year.

Group property manager Mark Hull said: "Yate is a real success story. We have other shopping centres up and down the country but Yate is leagues ahead of them."

The number of shoppers visiting the centre has risen dramatically in recent months. In December, 1.44 million people used the shopping centre – an increase of 17 percent from the 1.23 million who visited during the same month in 2008.

And despite the recession, the shopping centre saw footfall increase during the whole of 2009 to 13 million people.

Mr Hull said the reason for Yate’s success was a number of development projects and the mixture of shops.

He said: "We put our success down to a good mix of local shops combined with leading high street national retailers.

"This year promises to be another exciting year with work starting on the new Tesco store and other improvements in East Walk.

"We will also see the completion of the health centre alongside the improvements to the library and leisure centre, which were undertaken late last year.

"All in all, the centre is undergoing major changes that will benefit local people."

He added: "We are very pleased with the overall performance last year considering the state of the economy."

A number of new shops opened in Yate last year despite the economic downturn. In August, clothing chains Peacocks and Bonmarche opened in the former Woolworths store in South Walk, Orange has also opened and Tesco is due to rebuild its supermarket, opening as a Tesco Extra in 2011.

Dominion is now planning to build a cinema, bingo hall and restaurants on the overflow car park on Link Road and is hoping to open two restaurants in the former Adam’s children’s clothing store and Motorworld shop on South Parade.

In 2009, Yate also saw the completion of refurbishment programmes at both Yate Leisure Centre and Yate Library. The brand new West Gate Health Centre is due to open imminently.