Next to open West Midlands flagship

Next has secured a 75,680 square foot unit within Intu Merry Hill to open one of its largest UK stores to create a West Midlands flagship that will house its fashion, full homeware offering, and a coffee shop, as well as its Lipsy brand.

Located within the former Sainsbury’s store, Next has said that it will invest in a multi-million pound “state-of-the-art” store to create a flagship that will sit alongside fashion brands Topshop and River Island and JD Sports, which have all increased the size of their stores in the last year at the centre.

Nick Round, regional director at intu, said: “We will be working closely with Next to build a fantastic space for what will be one of their biggest UK stores.

“Next’s significant investment at intu Merry Hill reflects our own long-term commitment to the centre and the confidence that exists in it as a destination where brands can really flourish. Our plans are to attract even more great brands and create compelling experiences for customers across the West Midlands.”

A spokesperson for Next added: “We’re excited to have secured this fantastic space within the prime retail destination of Intu Merry Hill as the site of our next West Midlands store.”

Intu took full control of the Merry Hill centre, based 10 miles from Birmingham, last year and has since invested 100 million pounds in extending its leisure and retail facilities. The whole centre spans 1.4 million square foot and attracts around 22 million visitors a year.

Image: via Intu website