For the first time since it opened 15 years ago, all the retail units at The Brooks, Winchester, are occupied.

With so few shops left empty in the entire town that there isn't even room for Santa this year, it's a clear indication that festive business is booming.

In fact, in a recent survey, Winchester was voted among the top 15% of shopping centres in the whole country.

City centre manager, Richard Nash, said: "Winchester is a special place. We are getting to the stage where we have all the big shops that people expect on a High Street.

"However, we also have our own shops that give the city a character all of its own. People love the fact that there are clock shops, piano shops and violin-makers here, as well as Marks and Spencers, Sainsburys and Next."

Mr Nash said that as soon as a unit became available in the High Street, it was taken up.

Superdrug have a second outlet, Robert Dyas are opening soon, and Reeves, the bakers, say that Winchester is their top performing outlet.

Cafs and pubs abound to serve the needs of the 10 000 people who work in the city.

The Brooks centre, which, until three years ago was only 60% let, is positively booming.

The addition of a Costa Coffee Shop downstairs has brought more people into the centre and they tend to browse around the shops as well.

Managing director of Minerva, who own The Brooks, Steven Yewman, said: "We have turned the shopping centre into somewhere for people go for dwell time--to meet friends and then, hopefully, go to the shops as well."

The centre does not try to take on the High Street but to complement it, said Mr Yewman, who admitted that there was also a great deal of competition from massive out-of-town centres such as Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, and WestQuay, Southampton.

"As people are travelling to these places, they may well choose to stop off in Winchester on the way, so we will get a lot of the passing trade.

"The fact we are strong on the retail side can only serve to help the town when people come to visit the obvious attractions such as the cathedral and the Great Hall."

The Brooks and the town centre management group are working together to make parking easier for visitors.

While there is now a pay-and-display system, this will be changed to pay-as-you-leave.

"If people decide they want to go for a drink after shopping or have a look around the cathedral, they will no longer have to rush back to their cars and top up their tickets. This just gives people more freedom," said Mr Nash.