A retail park in Glasgow is to undergo a £9 million expansion which will create some much needed jobs in the area.
Glasgow Fort Shopping Park is located five miles outside of East Glasgow and can be accessed directly from junction 10 on the M8. The shopping park currently houses 71 retail commercial properties, plus four kiosks and a stall.
The new 45,000 sq. ft. development, which will be open in summer 2013, will see the addition of a cinema and five restaurants. Chiquito, Harvester, PizzaExpress, Prezzo and TGI Friday will take up the restaurant spots and Vue will become the new cinema.
Speaking of the extension of retail commercial properties, Phil Goodman, Glasgow Fort’s Centre Manager said: “We are absolutely delighted that the leisure development will soon be underway and we can look forward to an important and major extension to the Park’s offering by next summer.
“Glasgow Fort Shopping Park, as well as a wide range of retail outlets, already has a number of restaurants and cafes which are very popular. By adding a cinema and more big restaurant names to the mix, the Park will have even more to offer to our customers.”
250 jobs will be created during the construction of the outlets. But once completed, a further 200 jobs will be made available for local people. Currently the shopping park employs around 2,000 people, with over 1,300 of those being locals, to run its variety of shops and restaurants. Big brands in the retail park include: Argos, Boots, Phones 4u, Hobbycraft, River Island, Next and WHSmith, to name a few.
The development comes at a good time for Glasgow, especially with the Commonwealth Games coming to the area in July 2014.
“A leisure development will be a great addition to this area and provide a real boost in terms of entertainment provision, as well as for the area’s economy.
“This development comes at an exciting time for East End of Glasgow. With the Commonwealth Games coming, we will be proud to have such a fantastic showcase for visitors to come and enjoy what the area has to offer,” Mr Goodman added.
Do you live near Glasgow Fort Shopping Park? Have you been shopping there recently? Share your experiences with us below.