PARTS of Bolton town centre are booming, new figures reveal.

The statistics show an 11 per cent increase in shoppers at the Crompton Place shopping centre over the last 12 months.

The number of visitors counted electronically by machines at entrances to the centre revealed a massive 9.14 million visitors last year, compared to the 8.23 million the year before.

The figures have been revealed in a survey carried out by Greater Manchester Research Unit.

But not all parts of the town have attracted an increase in shoppers. Some areas have attracted fewer visitors believed to be as a result of competition from out-of-town shopping developments such as the Trafford Centre.

Crompton Place manager David Cameron believes the reason the shopping centre has increased its number of visitors is down to its wide range of stores.

He said: "New Look moved to the space vacated by C&A last year -- and that store is highly successful.

"A further three units were snapped up last year, one by Spencer Gifts, owned by Universal Studios, and two others, Scott's menswear and the Fragrance Shop -- both successful businesses based in the North-west."

The Market Place has also reported a six per cent increase in the number of visitors since last year. Figures reveal an average total of 141,000 visitors a week last year compared to an average of 150,000 a week this year, so far.

Rod Neasham, manager of the Market Place, said he is pleased with the increase the centre had seen.

He said: "It's good to see, from our own weekly research, that we have still retained a core of Bolton shoppers who regularly visit the town centre."

The Bolton's Town Centre Company is striving to increase more shoppers to Bolton town centre as a whole after a fall in visitors over the last few years.

Town Centre Manager, Karen Wheeldon, said: "Obviously, one of our aims is to increase the number of visitors to the town centre.

"We did see a decline when the Trafford Centre opened but over the past couple of years, we have started to change this trend. This is very positive for the future of the town."