Santa Claus is coming to town with HSBC support

Snow Factor, which will be located in Soar at intu Braehead from 17 November, will offer a seasonal experience to families called Santa and the Snow. As part of the experience, guests will have the chance to enjoy playing in real snow after visiting Santa.

Starting in the main mall in Soar at intu Braehead, visitors will undertake a fun-filled, magical journey which includes taking the Elf Oath in Elf School, visiting Santa’s Workshop to make a Christmas decoration and to enjoy a story from Santa before playing in real snow.

The family event will run daily until Christmas Eve.

Santa and the Snow will generate 58 seasonal jobs to support the running of the experience. The loan from HSBC UK will support Snow Factor’s costs for props and materials as part of the £700,000 production costs.

Jamie Smith, owner of Ice Factor Group, said: “We created a Dine with Santa product which has grown and grown every year. With the support of HSBC UK, we have entered a two-year agreement with intu Braehead. Santa and the Snow will be a magical two-hour experience and will underpin Snow Factor and Soar at intu Braehead as the best family destination to eat, shop and play. We opened up bookings this week and demand has been incredible with over 10 per cent of all slots booked in the first two days.”

Susan Rowand, head of business banking at HSBC UK in Scotland, said: “Jamie has always had a clear understanding of what his customers want and is using this knowledge to grow the business. We’re pleased to support the business as it builds on success from previous years and look forward to seeing Santa and the Snow come together later this year.”

In previous years, Snow Factor has delivered a Santa experience for 3,500 visitors at the site in Soar at intu Braehead. This year, and with HSBC UK’s support, the new experience is anticipating welcoming an additional 40,000 visitors in the run-up to Christmas.