MOTHERWELL Shopping Centre has attracted record first-quarter footfall numbers after more than one million consumers passed through its doors between January and March.

The centre, which received a £500,000 makeover in the autumn, reported a 13 per cent increase in shopper numbers compared with the first quarter of last year.

It comes with occupancy running at more than 90 per cent.Chester Properties, which runs the centre, said it is bucking wider footfall trends on the Scottish high street.

It noted footfall figures from the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) were down 2.1 per cent in March and 4.1 per cent in February compared with the ­corresponding months last year.

William Gear, director of Chester Properties, said: "The first quarter us usually the quietest as shoppers and their credit cards recover from festive spending, so breaking the million barrier was a great result for us."