A GIGANTIC new Manchester shopping mall could cut Blackpool trade by nine per cent in its first year, according to new research.

The Trafford Centre, at Dumplington off the M60, is due to open in September, offering a multitude of high-class stores and parking, and hitting other North West shopping centres hard.

The Association of Town Centre Management predicts towns closest to Trafford will suffer as much as a 27 per cent downturn in trade in its first year and Blackpool nine per cent.

Blackpool Town Centre Forum is joining forces with other North West traders' bodies in a regional marketing campaign to fight for customers' loyalty.

Blackpool town centre manager Nigel Hanson said: "We'll be trying to remind people of the importance of local shopping to their local economy and to push the attractions of shopping in their own home-town.

"We also want to raise the awareness of the issues of out-of-town shopping and the danger of harming our town centres."

The campaign will run at the same time as the intensive promotions surrounding the launch of the multi-million pound Trafford Centre.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.