THE “Primark effect” helped drive up shopper numbers in Bournemouth by 27 per cent during 2011.

Special events and cheaper parking helped but Primark played the key role.

The store opened in Commercial Road in November 2010 and reversed years of footfall decline, according to figures collected by cameras.

Nigel Hedges, president of Bournemouth Chamber of Trade, said: “These new figures are astounding.

“My caveat is that the cameras can’t tell whether people are carrying shopping bags.

“First of all, this success is down to the Primark effect, and then to the entertainment offers in the Square.

“The cheaper parking, where you can get two hours for £1, is definitely taking effect too.”

The special events which were held for the first time this year included the Arts by the Sea festival and the reworked Christmas parade.

The council records shopper footfall with automatic cameras and they had previously been bringing bad news.

The week before Primark opened, the Daily Echo revealed that footfall had plummeted by 25-40 per cent over the previous five years, depending on the month measured.

That reflected a national decline.

Shopping expert Mary Portas said last month that said the nation’s high street’s were in crisis.

She compiled a report that said 42 per cent of retail spending is done in town centres, down from 49 per cent in 2000.

Roger Parker, Bournemouth’s town centre manager, said: “Our increase is remarkable given the national decline.

“The fuel price rises over the last five or six years are probably having an impact, with less shoppers choosing to travel to places like Winchester.”

However Mr Parker cautioned: “It should be noted that the footfall count may not directly translate into spending.”

A Primark spokesman said the company sees an increase in shoppers wherever it opens a store.

What the shoppers think of Bournemouth:

Rosemary Moynehan, 71, from Highcliffe, said: “It looks much better all along Commercial Road with the new shops, and the gardens are always lovely.

“I come here every month with my friends, mostly for Marks and Spencer. We like the town centre much better than Castlepoint.”

Kay Williams, 42, from Lilliput in Poole, said: “I think the shops have definitely improved, especially the clothes shops.

“I like all these shops like Zara, and Primark obviously. I’m from the north and the town centre is like a dream compared to the town I’m from.”

Sarah Steel, 31, a mum of two from Ferndown, said: “We usually go to Poole because the parking is nearer to the shops and it’s easier to get round because it’s flat.

“The shops in Bournemouth are so spread out and from talking to other people, that puts them off.”

Wendy Dean, 64, from Iford in Bournemouth, a retired social worker, said: “I don’t think the town centre has improved.

“We need a covered shopping mall where you can go in all weathers. The shops are really far apart in Bournemouth.

“Bournemouth seems to be the one place that doesn’t have a mall with all the shops together.”