Its heady mix of fashion, food and leisure is proving a winning cocktail for a multi-million-pound Cheltenham regeneration project.

Revealing just how significant it has become for bringing spending power to the spa town's lower high street The Brewery Quarter said it welcomed more than five million visitors in 2018.

Four major openings in the run-up to Christmas - including Urban Outfitters' first new store in the UK for four years - helped raise its profile still further.

Now 90 per cent full visitor numbers increased by 15 per cent on 2017.

Other key ingredients to its success include award-winning cocktail and culinary experts The Botanist, luxury men's retailer LUKE 1997, American style ice cream parlour Creams Café and lifestyle and hospitality brands Five Guys, Mr Mulligans Lost World and Babel.

Office space is now at 100 per cent capacity with the recent completion of high-fashion beauty brand SLG joining The Brewery Quarter.

The company behind Superdry's and Little Mix's cosmetics ranges has started work on creating their uber luxe office which is due to open early 2019.

They will be joined by international insurance broker THB Global which has selected the site for its regional office.

Popular Christmas markets and the showstopping festive lights switch on with Father Christmas attracted almost 35,000 visitors to The Brewery Quarter - an increase of 35 per cent from the year before.

Demelsa Coleman, marketing manager for The Brewery Quarter, said: "This year has been our best by far.

"We are absolutely delighted with our four new openings - it's created such a buzz about the place. Our growing success underlines our commitment to bringing desirable and successful brands to Cheltenham.

"We've also got plenty of exciting discussions in the pipeline for 2019 too - so watch this space!"

Phil Martin, director of Martin Commercial Properties which manages The Brewery Quarter scheme, said: "It's hugely satisfying to see that we are defying the economic uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the decline of the high street, with high profile businesses continuing to be drawn to Cheltenham.

"The Brewery Quarter is going from strength to strength and with John Lewis boosting the High Street offering, the outlook for 2019 remains positive."

The Brewery Quarter opened in 2006 and began predominantly as a leisure destination. It now includes Cineworld Cinemas, DW Fitness, Lost World Golf, Hollywood Bowl and a dozen restaurants and bars including The Botanist, The Cosy Club, Brewhouse and Kitchen, Babel, Five Guys, Nando's and Prezzo.

In 2014 works started on £30m regeneration, with a retail corridor extending to the town centre's High Street, a 90 bed Premier Inn hotel, 34 residential apartments and 40,000 sq ft office space and 160,000 sq ft retail. Urban Outfitters anchors the High Street retail element of the scheme.