Town centre shops in Burnham-On-Sea saw a 20 per cent downturn in trade on Tuesday (September 9th) when the Tour of Britain cycle race came to town.
Although cycle race organisers believe an estimated 10,000 people watched the race in town, many High Street traders did not experience a boost in customers.
However, Burnham’s Chamber of Trade says the town may still benefit in the longer term from all the media exposure during recent days.
Alex Turco, Chairman of Burnham’s Chamber of Trade, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “From the evidence I have seen, many shops experienced a poor day’s business with trade down by an average of 20-30 per cent compared to normal Tuesdays.”
“How much of that was down to the poor weather, the general economic downturn, or the cycle race itself, is uncertain.”
A farmers market at the southern end of the High Street (pictured above) was bustling with visitors during the day, but few people spent money in High Street shops, particularly at the northern end of town.
Mr Turco added: “Burnham may still benefit in the longer term, though. It’s not every day that we get national media coverage on TV channels like ITV4 or back page mentions in newspapers like The Daily Telegraph.”
“That publicity may enourage people to think about visiting Burnham in the future, although it is difficult to measure.”
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