Manchester's Trafford Centre expects 63% increase in footfall during Beautopia bank holiday event

Manchester’s Trafford Centre is expecting a 63% increase in footfall over the spring bank holiday weekend thanks to the experiential ‘Beautopia’ event taking place.

Trafford Centre expects 245,000 people to visit the shopping centre thanks to the experiential shopping event that will see shoppers invited to sample products, enjoy complimentary make-up sessions and take part in interactive experiences. 

Trafford Centre

The free interactive sessions at ‘Beautopia’ include Beauty Bowling, a Ball Pool of Beauty and Glow-up Golf. Brands taking part in the event include Space NK, BSSephora, Boots, Rituals and Lush.

Visitors will be invited to support UK charity Beauty Banks, with a donation point added for visitors to deposit any unwanted self-care and beauty items. Those spending £65 or more will be invited to enter a prize draw. 

Health and beauty have seen success at Trafford Centre recently, with the shopping centre reporting a 42% increase in sales across the category in 2024. 

“Our beauty category has boomed over the last two years, with some major openings including Sephora and Space NK having fuelled this growth,” says Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre. “The Beautopia Weekend will see our beauty brands take centre stage outside of their usual store location in a bid to engage with a larger audience in a fun and interactive way. We look forward to seeing the results following the activation”. 

While still a new category in the UK retail sector, experiential retail is expected to grow an average of 2.6% each year until 2027.

Layton added: “We’re going big on beauty at Trafford Centre with our incredible Beautopia weekend. We’re thrilled to host some of the biggest names in beauty and bring guests a jam-packed weekend of fun - this is not your average beauty event.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Experiential retail will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.