Footfall and trade are going from strength to strength in Mansfield with a variety of figures pointing to the town centre showing strong signs of recovery.

Latest footfall figures from five cameras around the town centre show a continued increase since 2022, when 4.8 million visitors were counted, to 2024, when nearly 6 million visitors were recorded.

In the past two years, Mansfield BID said 61 new businesses opened, seven relocated to the town, and one expanded — while five were recorded as having closed.

All of the council’s own town centre retail outlets are occupied with the recent opening of a trading card shop on Queen Street and a new Vietnamese restaurant on Regent Street.

As reported by the News Journal in January, a survey by card payment company SumUp showed that more new pubs and bars, 25, opened in Mansfield than anywhere else in the UK over the last five years.

The same report, which was based on Office for National Statistics figures, also showed the town was eighth in the country for high street retail growth in the past five years, with a 30.4 per cent increase.

Another survey due to be released by Bionic, a price comparison site aimed at small businesses, is set to show Mansfield is the best place in the UK to start a business outside of London.

Mansfield District Council’s portfolio holder for Regeneration and Growth, Coun Stuart Richardson, said: “All these positives suggest that Mansfield is the place to be if you want to reach customers. We always encourage our residents to support their local economy by shopping here on their doorstep.”

Jay Rowlinson, chief executive of Mansfield BID, added that the figures highlighted the need for Mansfield to recognise the importance of its town centre.

“I have no doubt that the town centre can, and will, be more successful moving forward, with the continued support and interest of key partners and businesses,” he said.

“Of course, there is always more to do. We need to be nimble and peel away any red tape or bureaucracy, and sing our successes and promote Mansfield as a good place for both businesses and visitors.”

Among the new businesses to open in Mansfield town centre is Trident Cards, which expanded from its Nottingham base with a new trading cards store and café on Queen Street last year.

Store manager James Middleton pictured) said: “With all the plans for the town centre and the support from the council and partners for new businesses, it felt like the opportune moment to grow with Mansfield.”

Last year, the latest visitor economy figures showed that shopping was the biggest reason for people to visit, accounting for 42 per cent of expenditure, followed by food and drink at 29.3 per cent. Mansfield’s visitor economy was worth £130.76m in 2023, up from £124.75m in 2022 and making good progress back towards the 2018 high of £147.23m. There were 2.82 million visitors to the district, up 4.2 per cent on 2022, and the sector supported the full-time equivalent of 1,540 jobs, compared with 1,379 in 2022.

Nottinghamshire Police also has good news to encourage more trade in the town centre with a targeted campaign of patrols, arrests and convictions cutting shoplifting by 38 per cent in the past 12 months.

The proportion of offenders dealt with by means of a charge, report for summons to court, fixed penalty notice, or community resolution stands at 41% – the highest in Nottinghamshire.

Inspector Kylie Davies, district commander for Mansfield at Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Mansfield is a great place to live, work and visit and I am proud to lead a team of local officers who care passionately about a place many of them call home.

“We are working hard every day to tackle issues of concern in and around the town centre and have been successful in reducing both anti-social behaviour and shoplifting over the last couple of years.

“These results can only help to build business confidence and encourage visitors to spend their money with local businesses.

“I want people to know that these remain priority issues for us and we will continue to come down hard on anyone who causes harm to our town centre.”

Among other council initiatives to stimulate growth and inward investment are:

• Grants for enterprises seeking to open a vacant shop and to improve shops fronts.
• Mansfield Townscape Heritage Project supported by £849,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, to help restore heritage buildings in the town centre.
• Mansfield Connect, a scheme to repurpose the former Beales department store into a community and civic hub.
• The £16.5m White Hart Street development to transform a derelict area of the town centre into mixed-use affordable homes and new commercial spaces.
• The Safer Streets project with £133,000 of investment to promote feeling of safety for the night time economy including improved CCTV, lighting and visibility, a scheme to reduce youth antisocial behaviour and Street Guardian volunteer first aider presence.
• Working with Mansfield BID to develop further support for businesses.