Westfield Broadway opens in Bradford
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A new 260 million pound shopping centre has opened in Bradford, more than a decade after construction first started. The opening of Westfield Broadway marks the largest retail centre to open in the UK this year and houses over 70 retailers and restaurants.
Work on the 570,000 square foot shopping centre, owned by Meyer Bergman and managed by Westfield, began in 2004, but halted in 2008 due to the financial crisis. In 2013, Westfield announced work would restart in January 2014, ten years after the development started.
The Broadway has created around 2,500 jobs, together with around 1,500 jobs during the construction phases, according to the developer, and the centre will boost footfall in Bradford by 40 percent, as more than 30 of the retailers are new to the city including H&M, Superdry, and Accessorize. In addition, Debenhams is the first department store to operate in Bradford in over twenty years.
Other retailers who took space in the new development include Marks and Spencer, Next and Topshop/Topman, all of which expanded into larger units.
Peter Miller, chief operating officer at Westfield UK & Europe, said: “The opening of The Broadway marks a fantastic day for Bradford. We are so proud that the centre is now open and ready to serve Bradford’s shoppers.
“This development will bring huge regeneration to the city centre in the form of increased footfall and retail sales to the benefit of local businesses, additional jobs, as well as acting as a catalyst for further inward investment which is already matching The Broadway’s.”
Following the opening of the Broadway, demographic and marketing information firm CACI predicts that the shopping centre will propel Bradford from 85th to 26th in the CACI UK retail rankings and make Bradford the third largest retail destination in Yorkshire.
Bradford Council Leader, Cllr David Green, added: "The opening of The Broadway shopping centre is a real landmark for the city and it's great to see the enthusiasm exuding from the top retailers who have demonstrated their confidence in Bradford.”