British Land completes its 60 million pound Meadowhall refurb

British Land, joint owner of Meadowhall, one of the UK’s premier shopping destinations, has announced that the 60 million pounds refurbishment of the Yorkshire centre has completed its two-year programme.

The refurbishment, which has seen 40 million pounds invested in store upgrades, has seen more than 70 brands including existing and new additions to Meadowhall’s line-up. New brands added have included the first-ever physical store for online retailer Joe Browns, as well as Michael Kors, Flannels, Urban Decay, Skinny Dip, Tag Heuer, iSmash, Diesel, Joules, Jack Wills, Neal’s Yard, Nespresso, T2, schuh Kids, Pret a Manger, GBK, Barburrito, and Tapas Revolution.

Charles Maudsley, head of retail, leisure and residential for British Land, said: “The transformation we have achieved at Meadowhall is a great example of how we have listened to our customers and responded to their needs to create space that works for shoppers and enables retailers to thrive in an omni-channel world.

“It also demonstrates the value we place in working in partnership with the community to deliver significant, long-lasting benefits to the Sheffield City Region.”

Other highlights from the refurbishment has seen the creation of four districts each with a distinctive character and offering, while columns and bulkheads have been reduced or removed to create a lighter, brighter mall, with new glazing, improved lighting and new customer seating added.

A number of brands including All Saints and Hollister have introduced double height flagship formats, while Primark, River Island, Sports Direct, Build-A-Bear, JD Sports, Virgin Holidays and The Entertainer have all upsized or increased their brand presence in the shopping centre, and retailers Marks and Spencer, House of Fraser, Ted Baker and Timberland have redesigned their existing units.

Meadowhall completes two-year 60 million pounds refurbishment programme

Claire Barber, head of Meadowhall for British Land, added: “Meadowhall is a very different place as a result of our investment. It is lighter and brighter; the space is more modern and the offer is significantly enhanced so it is the first choice for shoppers across the region. Together with our longer term plans for the centre, Meadowhall has a great future as one of the leading retail and leisure destinations in the UK.”

The investment has already impacted the shopping centre performance with footfall on Black Friday up 8 percent, making it the busiest on record, and the prime Zone A rental area has risen to over 400 pounds, reflecting “very strong demand for space” with 30 new retailers signing in the last 18 months, said British Land.

The refurbishment has also impacted on the region and Sheffield City, with more than 1,200 jobs created to deliver the refurbishment, with 35 percent of the workforce living in Sheffield and 41 percent overall from the Sheffield City Region.

In addition, almost 50 percent of the 60 million pounds spent on the refurb has been awarded to SMEs, while 70 percent of the project spend was made within 25 miles of Meadowhall, with 55 percent being spent in the Sheffield City Region.

The refurbishment of Meadowhall will be followed by the development of a Leisure Hall, which was granted planning consent in an unanimous vote by Sheffield City Council’s planning committee in September. The 300 million pounds extension will add 330,000 square foot of new catering and leisure to Meadowhall, as well as enhanced public realm and other amenities.

Images: courtesy of British Land/Meadowhall