Meadowhall to boost credentials with new leisure hall

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 14, 2017

Meadowhall has announced its plans to build a £300 million leisure hall extension have been approved.

The regional shopping centre is the latest shopping centre to embark on a leisure-led extension as the number of shoppers visiting the high street and malls continues to decline.

It said the project will transform the leisure offering at the shopping destination, creating a 330,000 sq ft hall housing restaurants, a new cinema, café court, gym, open-air terrace and space for events for its 24 million annual visitors.

Meadowhall is also investing £60 million to upgrade the look and feel of the centre. This work will be completed during the autumn, ahead of the peak Christmas trading period.

“We are delighted with the Planning Committee’s decision and will now work with our partners and other stakeholders over the coming months on the detail of the Leisure Hall to ensure Meadowhall delivers the maximum benefits for customers, retailers and the wider Sheffield City Region,” said Charles Maudsley, Head of Retail, Leisure and Residential for British Land.

“The refurbishment completing later this year, our continued leasing success, significant store investment by retailers and the Leisure Hall proposals are all significant steps in the centre’s continued evolution.”

As part of the centre’s ongoing modernisation, 40 retailers have recently redesigned and refitted their existing stores at Meadowhall, investing a total of £34 million. These include All Saints, Hollister, House of Fraser and Hugo Boss with a further 30 currently underway.

Additionally, in the 12 months to June, all 61 occupiers with leases due to expire renewed their tenancies and eight of these retailers increased the size of their space within the centre.

And 30 new brands have joined the line-up over the past 18 months, including Flannels, Tag Heuer, Nespresso, Neal’s Yard and Godiva.