You’ll find origami birds worth thousands of pounds hidden around intu Trafford Centre

Hundreds of origami birds worth thousands of pounds are being hidden at intu Trafford Centre from 12-14 May as part of intu’s pledge to make customers smile.

A team of experts spent over 130 hours folding the birds, which are worth £10 each.

They are being hidden to surprise and delight shoppers at intu’s shopping centres across the UK – including the Trafford Centre.

This follows new research which has revealed that unexpectedly finding money is the nation’s favourite surprise.

Finding money was also Mancunians’ happiest surprise, followed by getting a compliment from a stranger, hearing your favourite song come on the radio, getting a refund you thought was a bill and realising it’s a weekend and not a week day.

The research also revealed that over half of Mancunians (57 per cent) get more happiness from something unexpected rather than something planned. Two thirds (65 per cent) of those surveyed said shopping makes them happier and a third (32 per cent) go shopping to cheer themselves up.

Nationally, women get more happiness from shopping than men, with 42 per cent saying it makes them happier compared to 30 per cent of men. Women are also likely to browse for longer, staying in shopping centres for an average of 132 minutes (2hrs 12mins) versus just 84 minutes (1hr 24mins) for men.

intu analysed the shopping habits of shoppers nationwide to come up with the seven types of shopper that are being represented by origami birds.

A hawk represents the bargain hunter shopper who loves a good offer. An owl, the wise shopper who plans ahead. A chicken, the last-minute shopper. A duck, the shopper who makes a day of it with the family. A flamingo, the shopper who loves going shopping and looking good for the occasion. A swan, the window shopper who loves to browse around the shops. A peacock, the over excited shopper who loves to shop for a big event or any special occasion.

“We hope our origami birds will put a smile on the faces of the customers lucky enough to find one within our shopping centres,” said intu Trafford Centre general manager Richard Paxton.

“We’re passionate about creating experiences that surprise and delight our 30 million customers and whatever type of shopper you are; we’ll have something for you. By focusing on key moments both large and small we aim to ensure each and every customer leaves our centres happier than when they arrived.”

For more information and clues on where to find them search #intuBirds on Twitter.