Many happy returns to Highcross Leicester

Highcross Leicester celebrates its fourth birthday today. Since opening on September 4, 2008, the shopping centre has welcomed almost 72.5 million visitors to date and continues to attract top brands to the city. Reporter Tom Mack asked shoppers for their birthday comments.

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Kurt Huckerby, 16, apprentice electrician, Countesthorpe

“I think it’s amazing. There’s everything you want, all in one place and I go there quite a bit”

Rhianne Spilner, 16, college student, Kibworth

“I love the shops they’ve got. I was there for the opening day and I remember being really excited”

Joe Bassett, 17, sales assistant, Syston

“I like the design of it but I mostly shop online. I only go in there if it’s raining”

Emily Young, 16, student, Stoney Stanton

“I never buy anything except when I go Christmas shopping with my mum. I find it really hot in there”

William Gadsby, 70, retired, Highfields, Leicester

“It’s better than what it replaced and it’s quite well run, but I find it hard to find what you want – the maps and signage leave a lot to be desired”

Umar Azam, 19, student, Beaumont Leys, Leicester

“I think it’s an improvement on the Shires but I know a lot of people still go out of Leicester to shop, so it’s not competing as well as it could”

Harriet Mann, 21, shoe shop worker, Narborough Road, Leicester

“I don’t shop in there – half the shops that opened were already in the city centre somewhere else. I do like the John Lewis building design, though”

Sugata Gupta, 30, oil and gas engineer, Leicester city centre

“There’s not really much variety, particularly for clothes, but it’s quite nice to go in and look around”

Huseyin Adani, 72, restaurant owner, West End, Leicester

“Since it opened, no-one shops in the High Street any more. I have a High Street restaurant and it benefited when there were 1,500 builders on the site, but not so much now”

Emma Holland, 23, student, Leicester city centre

I think it’s nice and spacious. I sometimes get lost in there. There’s a good variety of shops as well”

Chris Massey, 46, painter, Tudor Road area, Leicester

“I never use it – it’s too expensive. I prefer the market and the Haymarket centre. It’s just a bunch of clone shops like you find everywhere else. There are no individual shops”

David Fitzhugh, 54, charity volunteer, Leicester city centre

“I don’t bother with it. It’s very busy and all the shops are the same. I go in to use the Post Office and that’s it”