During peak season, 645,000 people chose to visit Ullared. These customers collectively spent SEK 928 million in July, covering sales in the department store and its four restaurants.
This marks a 10 percent increase compared to the same period last year. A specific daily record was set on July 22nd, when 29,100 visitors were on site simultaneously and spent close to SEK 40 million in a single day.
It has been an incredible summer for us. Breaking sales records is fantastic, but I am even happier to see how many people choose to spend part of their vacation with us. Perhaps the Ullared trip is the only vacation activity where children, teenagers, parents and grandparents are equally excited, says CEO Patrik Levin.
Investments Ahead of the Season
To meet the summer customer flow, the company completed several renovations during the spring. The retail space has been expanded by 3,000 square meters, and 629 new parking spaces were added outdoors. In addition, a completely new accommodation concept was launched in the form of 87 rooms adjacent to the department store.
In total, Gekås facilities, including hotels, motels, cottage villages and campsites, registered 100,000 overnight stays during July. This is an increase of just over 10 percent.
We worked all winter and spring to be ready when the high season started. For us, satisfied customers and guests are proof that we have succeeded, says Patrik Levin.
Physical Retail as an Experience
In addition to the new accommodations, a new adventure park has been built on the site. The park, which includes a high ropes course, zipline and climbing park, attracted thousands of visitors during the early summer.
There is a lot of talk about how physical retail should compete with digital retail, but our strength is to do the opposite. Here you can fill a shopping cart with bargains, have lunch with the whole family and challenge the children in the high ropes course. Shopping can be an experience and a way to socialize. This summer really shows how much power there is in that, says Patrik Levin.