THE Exchange Shopping Centre is celebrating after a new store helped contribute to a significant increase in the number of people visiting the town.

The Exchange has reported an increase in footfall of around 7,000 people for the third week in June, which they believe has been caused in part by the opening of the new Poundland store in the unit formerly occupied by D2.

Between Monday 15 June and Sunday 21 June 131,182 people visited the centre, compared with 124,113 the week before.

The figures also reveal a 1.2 per cent increase compared to the same time last year, when between 15 and 21 June 2008 129, 613 people visited the centre.

Marketing manager Margaret Cigna said: "The footfall figures increased the week after we opened the new Poundland store, so people clearly like it.

"We also had Father’s Day, which always attracts a lot of people out shopping."

In addition to the footfall figures, the centre is also celebrating the launch of a new shop in the market today (Saturday).

Trader Peter Goodyear is opening Brunt Bread on the site of the former Hampsons shop. The business will sell locally baked fresh bread, muffins, cakes and pies as well as freshly prepared sandwiches and hot and cold drinks.

To mark the opening of the shop the first 30 customers will receive a free cup of tea and be offered special deals.

From then on, Mondays will be pensioners’ day with five per cent off for senior citizens.

Mr Goodyear has been trading on Rochdale Market for two and a half years with his stall selling bread, muffins, pies and cakes.

Manager of the Rochdale Exchange, Lorenzo O’Reilly, says despite tough conditions on the high street the centre has plenty to be pleased about. He says rental interest in units in the centre is higher than it has been for the past two to three years.

He said: "We have an awful lot of retailers that we are talking to about the units, though it’s still too premature to go into details just yet. Suffice to say we’ve had more interest recently than we have in the past two to three years in terms of lettings."