by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Shoppers who kept their wallets shut during London 2012 gave Bluewater a “Christmas” feeling in September by returning to the spending habit.

The shopping and leisure complex enjoyed a post-Olympic surge, with sales in September up 6.6% on the same month a year ago.

This was significantly higher than the 1.5% increase in like-for-like sales for the UK as a whole recorded by the British Retail Consortium and KPMG.

The number of people visiting Bluewater jumped 5.6% over the same month in 2011. Fashion sales increased by 10%, boosted by late summer sunshine, while electricals soared by 21%, helped by the launch of the iPhone. Catering outlets reported sales up 22%.

The spending and footfall rises were also helped by longer Sunday opening hours sanctioned by the Government to encourage extra retail spending during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Robert Goodman, the centre’s general manager, said: “For Bluewater, the Olympic legacy is a reality.

"Beginning the day after the closing ceremony, Bluewater experienced a very strong seven weeks, leading to an excellent September.

"On some days last month, it felt like Christmas at Bluewater, which is a sentiment shared by many of our retailers.”

Mr Goodman added that the temporary longer opening hours on Sundays had resulted in more people staying later into the evening to dine.

“This trend has continued and benefits our retailers as guests focus their attention on shopping right until the moment the stores close.”

Mr Goodman has previously called for more study into the pros and cons of permanent longer opening hours on Sunday.