Birmingham’s £150m Grand Central shopping centre has been hailed a “game-changer” for the city and retailers believe it will put the area “back on the map”.
Opening today, it is Britain’s biggest retail development since Trinity Leeds and is part of a transformed Birmingham New Street station.
The 500,000 sq ft scheme, anchored by one of John Lewis’s largest stores, features an upmarket offer that aims to complement the city’s high street and Bullring mall. More than 50 million visitors are expected to pass through the shopping centre each year.
It boasts 46 retailers, including Fat Face, Cath Kidston, Paperchase and Holland & Barrett, as well as cafes and restaurants.
John Lewis boss Andy Street described the development as a statement of intent.
He told Retail Week: “Any city around the world would be proud of what’s been achieved. In its new guise New Street station is genuinely a remarkable transformation.”
Street, who regards Birmingham as his home town, believes the city will emerge as the UK’s second best retail destination, behind London, as a result of the scheme.
Opportunity for Birmingham
Birmingham lies fourth in CACI’s Retail Footprint report, behind London, Glasgow and Manchester.
However, CACI director Dan Parr said Birmingham can challenge for second place. “Grand Central will give millions of people arriving into Birmingham a reason to spend. It’s an absolute game-changer,” he said.
Paperchase retail director Simon Howes believes Grand Central is a “big opportunity to put Birmingham back on the map”. He said it could draw shoppers back into the city centre, away from rivals such as the Merry Hill shopping centre near Dudley.
“With that amount of retail space and the way it will link well with the Bullring, this is an improvement in the quality of retail space in the city centre,” said Howes.
Cath Kidston marketing director Sue Chidler said: “Grand Central has definitely given Birmingham the boost to become a stronger contender in retail.”
White Company chief executive Will Kernan said: “Birmingham is one of the last key city markets where we don’t have a standalone store, so securing a new store alongside John Lewis in Birmingham was a really important part of our location strategy.
Grand Central is the first of four large retail developments that will open this year, the most in one year since the onset of the recession.
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