Hotels, restaurants and pubs in Norwich are gearing up for bumper sales as Take That fans arrive in their droves for the band's two concerts at Carrow Road.

Eastern Daily Press: Preparations around Carrow Road ahead of the Take That concert. Picture : ANTONY KELLYPreparations around Carrow Road ahead of the Take That concert. Picture : ANTONY KELLY (Image: archant 2017)

A number of hotels across the city said they were full, while several restaurants also reported an increase in bookings.

Stefan Lumley, deputy manager of Yellows American Bar and Grill at Carrow Road, said there had been a 'substantial' increase in bookings for Friday and Saturday.

'We are running a bigger staff rota, like we do on match days,' he said. 'It should be a good few days.'

A spokesman for the Maids Head Hotel in Tombland said: 'The majority of people staying here have booked via a third party so we don't know that they're staying specifically for the concert, but we are a full hotel for the two days of the concert. It's definitely really good for the city.'

Eastern Daily Press: Preparations around Carrow Road ahead of the Take That concert. Picture : ANTONY KELLYPreparations around Carrow Road ahead of the Take That concert. Picture : ANTONY KELLY (Image: archant 2017)

The Premier Inn Norwich Nelson, located near the train station, said there had been a large number of bookings ahead of the concert and that it had employed extra staff to assist with the influx of guests.

Taxi companies said they expected an increase in business while James Reeve, Greater Anglia's area customer service manager for Norwich, said it also anticipated greater demand this week.

'We know that the Take That concert is going to be hugely popular, so we wanted to make sure that fans could get home on the train afterwards,' he said, adding that the last train times had changed to coincided with the end of the concert. Some trains have also been made longer.

Nick Bond, head of tourism for VisitNorwich, said the city was currently experiencing a number of high profile events.

'Aside from the fact this is great news for local people, the economic benefits are huge,' he said. 'People who attend a big event from further afield may want to stay over and this means they will be spending on average at least £100 per person - certainly more if they make a weekend of it.'

Stefan Gurney, director at the Norwich BID, said the concert was a great opportunity for city to showcase all it had to offer. He said it was good that Norwich was now being considered a destination by big bands.