CITY shops excluding those in Westfield saw visitor numbers rise by more than a quarter in the run-up to Christmas.
According to figures released by Derby City Council, footfall in the city centre, outside of the Westfield shopping centre, was up 25.6% last month compared to December 2010.
When Westfield opened in October 2007, other shopping areas in Derby saw a dramatic slump in visitors.
It has taken years for areas like the Cathedral Quarter to recover.
Simon Ingham, managing director of Bennetts department store, in Iron Gate, said: “We were certainly very busy during the Boxing Day sales.
“As a business we have worked hard to improve and make ourselves a destination store.”
Martin Langsdale, chairman of the Cathedral Quarter management group, which drives activities under the area’s Business Improvement District status, said the festive footfall figures were proof the area had reinvented itself.
He said: “The figures are excellent, particularly in Iron Gate, which has established itself as a fantastic and high-quality retail destination.
“The increased footfall throughout the area is testament to the hard work that the businesses have put in – both collectively with events such as the Santa’s Grotto and music in Blacksmiths Yard, and individually to promote this area as a destination of choice.
“The figures are proof that an area as individual and diverse as the Cathedral Quarter is increasingly popular with the general public who want high-quality goods and services.
“We have entered 2012 and are approaching our fourth anniversary as a business improvement district in high spirits.”