Intu Properties : 50-foot ‘sun’ to shine at intu shopping centres to continue summer

A giant 50-foot artificial sun has been installed at intu Trafford Centre in a bid to extend the summer and make people happier.

The glowing, bright orange sphere which took 12 weeks to build, has a 15-metre circumference and shines as brightly as 12,000 lightbulbs. Its installation follows intu's happiness survey, which reveals that four in five Brits (82 per cent) feel happier when it's sunny.

The artificial sun has been modelled on a photograph captured by NASA and will be shining inside intu Trafford Centre before going on a tour of 11 intu centres across the country as part of the shopping centre owner's pledge to make shoppers smile. Each centre will have its own 'sunny spots' for shoppers to sit back on deck chairs and bathe in the sun with ice creams and mocktails being handed out to lucky shoppers.

According to the intu happiness survey, a third of British adults (32 per cent) say 2018 has been their happiest summer in memory despite the economic uncertainty, with two in five (40 per cent) crediting the sunshine for their increased happiness levels.

The weather forecast for the next month at intu shopping centres is guaranteed to be 'sunny' so shoppers are encouraged to take a pair of sunglasses with them when they visit!

Roger Binks
Customer experience director for intu

The research from intu also revealed that over two-thirds of people living in the UK (69 per cent) feel happier in the summer than they do in the winter, with sunshine (27 per cent), longer days (24 per cent), summer holidays (16 per cent) and more outdoor activity (15 per cent) the top reasons given. 80 per cent say the much needed summer rays also make them feel healthier.

Roger Binks, customer experience director for intu, said 'The weather forecast for the next month at intu shopping centres is guaranteed to be 'sunny' so shoppers are encouraged to take a pair of sunglasses with them when they visit! We know that people feel happier when it's sunny and after a glorious summer we wanted to extend the sunshine and create something sunny for our 35 million shoppers. At intu we have something for everyone, so whether you're on a shopping spree or just want to sit back and enjoy the sun, we have you covered.'

The 50-foot, artificial 'sun' will be visiting 11 intu shopping entres around the country including intu Trafford Centre, intu Lakeside and intu Metrocentre from 12 September to 8 October. For more information on when it will shining in your local centre follow #intuSun on Twitter. intu owns some of the UK's largest and most popular retail destinations in the country including centres in Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow.