50-foot artificial 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.
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.”
