COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Businesses in Coventry have received a surprising boost from an unexpected source.



Pokémon Go, the new game which invites players to use their phones to capture, battle, and train virtual beasts, has hit Coventry and is already transfixing the city’s fans – with users filling one city centre location.

Hundreds of users have been flocking to Broadgate during the early hours of the morning as they take to the streets in a bid to catch them all – with around 150 users seen locked to their mobile devices filling the square at 2am earlier this week.

The boost in footfall has come at a good time for the city centre square, which is currently hosting Coventry’s annual week-long international food and drink festival.

The event, which is offering a range of exotic cuisines from Spanish paellas to German bratwursts, is running until Monday, August 1, and has a bar open until late.

John Kiely, chairman of the Coventry BID which has brought the food festival to Broadgate, said: “A massive amount of work has been done in recent years to boost the evening and night-time economy in the city centre – and we are happy to get help like this, even though it took a time for us to realise why so many people were around in the early hours.

“But it’s been at all times of the day and we can’t believe how much busier Broadgate has been over the last week, particularly during what is usually a quiet area of the city centre at that time.

“It’s proved particularly advantageous for food festival stall holders who are conveniently placed to fuel hungry Pokémon players as they tot up the miles.

“That’s been great but it has been a bit weird for our staff to see people wandering around glued to their phones in the early hours of the morning.”

It’s believed that Broadgate is a hotspot for players, with several items used to play the game being dropped around the area.

The game, which only launched this month, has been attracting international publicity for the way it mixes the real world with online gaming.

John added: “It seems Coventry has gone absolutely Pokémad – not that the city centre’s retailers and restaurateurs are complaining.

“It’s been widely reported that there has been a spike in business in leisure and retail hotspots, such as Covent Garden in London, following the app’s launch as these busy urban areas are usually teeming with virtual Pokémon monsters and creatures – so we’re hoping Coventry will be able to follow suit.”