"The database can easily be converted into maps with the software they supply"
Antwerp City Council
Dries van Hofstraeten from the Work & Economy Department regularly uses our data on the Belgian retail market. “We purchased the data on our own core shopping area,” explains Van Hofstraeten.
“A lot of information is recorded on every outlet, such as the name of the shop and the retail sector. But we are especially interested in the retail floor area and the footfall past the outlet.”
The objective
“Abdijstraat in Antwerp is a good example. This street was refurbished. The Den Tir Shopping Center opened in 2006 and numerous projects were developed in partnership with the traders. We recently compared the footfall in the street during the period from 2007 to 2009. And we have already ordered the next count in 2011,” says Van Hofstraeten.
“We have been developing all sorts of activities and projects in this area for over a decade, so we are interested in monitoring footfall flows. Locatus enables us to gain regular and affordable insight into the development of the footfall flows. Are there more shoppers in the Shopping Center than in Abdijstraat itself? Have there been any changes in the number of shoppers in the Shopping Center compared with Abdijstraat? And are there parts of Abdijstraat that now fewer shoppers?”
Why Locatus?
Van Hofstraeten feels that the presentation of the data is one of the main advantages. “It was almost impossible to find information presented on clear maps. Locatus’ added value lies in the fact that it conbines a wide range of variables in a single database which can easily be converted into maps with the software they supply. Locatus also produces its own reports based on its data, so municipal councils with less time or expertise available can still view the most important trends and results. Antwerp City Council can use this data to back up its advice to the local authorities, municipal departments, interested investors amd retailers. If you can substantiate advice with objective figures and maps, it always makes it more valuable.”
