For over two deacdes, Sheffield’s Meadowhall Shopping Centre has been one of Yorkshire’s top retail destinations and, to celebrate the centre’s 25th birthday, owner British Land has announced a mammoth £50 million investment into an internal refurbishment designed to improve the facility for both tenants and shoppers.
The works will see several different “districts” established within the 1.4 million sq ft centre, and each will benefit from different finishes including wood and punctured metal in order to create a diverse atmosphere. Retailers will also have the option of installing double height shop fronts, allowing more natural light to permeate individual units and creating a feeling of enhanced space.
In addition, British Land will install more mall seating for consumers and create a new method of way finding as a means of increasing ease of access for shoppers. Dramatic lighting artwork will be another key feature of the refurbishment, modernising the overall look of the centre.
Head of shopping centre asset management at British Land, Claire Barber, believes that the changes will be welcomed by both existing tenants and the shoppers who frequently visit the development.
She says; “Across the retail portfolio, we are investing in our assets to ensure they reflect the way people shop today.
“The refurbishment of Meadowhall will reposition the centre to appeal to premium and lifestyle retailers as well as a broader range of customers.
“We are very excited about the future for Meadowhall and the experience this investment will create for both our customers and retailers.”
British Land intends to launch the refurbishment programme in the autumn of this year, meaning that all works should have concluded in time for the Christmas trading season in 2017. Where possible, contractors will work out of hours as a means of allowing retailers and leisure brands to trade as normal while the modernisation programme is underway.
This is not the first major investment British Land has made into Meadowhall in recent years, however, as the firm has recently completed a £3 million refreshment programme at the centre’s Park Lane area. The investment helped to attract a number of new retailers including The White Company, Jigsaw and White Stuff, indicating that the upcoming large scale refurbishment will prove beneficial in attracting new retailers to the development.
Since the centre’s opening in 1990, it has grown the number of brands in tenancy significantly, from 284 retailers to 310. While some, including Topshop, Next and Debenhams, have remained in situ for the duration of the centre’s lifespan, British Land has been extremely successful in diversifying the tenant mix to include luxury brands such as Ted Baker, Victoria’s Secret and Karen Millen.
And with over 40,000 sq ft of new lettings recently secured, it seems that Meadowhall is set to remain a key destination for retailers in the north.
