Bridges gets ready to grow

Nov 6 2007 By The Journal

THE Land Securities owned and managed Bridges regional shopping centre in Sunderland already has more than 100 top name stores, ranging from department store Debenhams to large store retailers such as Boots and fashion retailers such as Next, Top Shop, River Island and Monsoon Accessorize.

Currently, The Bridges occupies 47,844sqm (515,000sqft) of prime retail space in the heart of the city of Sunderland, served by two car parks to accommodate more than 940 cars. It is also adjacent to one of the busiest bus interchanges in the country and there is a Metro station right outside. Accessibility by both public and private transport is superb.

It was in 2000 that Land Securities opened Phase II of The Bridges and created a step change in the retail offer within Sunderland. We think it’s time for another step change.

We have been asked by Sunderland City Council to prepare a proposal to extend The Bridges into the Crowtree Leisure Centre site, which could provide a substantial mixed used development to include leisure, catering, retail and residential uses up to a further 20,000sqm (215,000sqft).

We are very excited about the prospect of working up a development proposal that could see a substantial extension to The Bridges and building on the success of what we have achieved so far at the shopping centre.

More than 25 million shoppers per year shop at The Bridges, the highest footfall of any shopping centre in the North-East. The people of Sunderland are fantastically loyal to their City and working with all the stakeholders we want to both continue to provide a high quality retail experience and expand that offer to a wider catchment.

Over the past few years Sunderland has undergone a remarkable transformation, underlining the city as a vibrant, forward-thinking location to work, live and enjoy leisure time. To complete the city’s regeneration the urban regeneration company (arc), has undertaken a 15-year programme to deliver £1.2bn of investment.

Highlights include a £200m investment programme centred on The Bridges, and attractions for local people and tourists alike include the prestigious Museum & Winter Gardens, the most visited attraction outside London, and the National Glass Centre. St Peter’s church, above the north bank of the river Wear has been nominated as a World Heritage site.

The night time economy is booming, with a new multiplex cinema as part of the Limelight leisure facility in the rejuvenated Sunniside area that also includes restaurants, a casino and a sports bar. The seafront boasts extensive sandy beaches, a promenade, a marine activities centre and a 200-berth marina.

Sunderland is also home of course to a premier football club whose Stadium of Light also hosts conferences, and soon a new swimming complex will sit alongside that.

As a testament to the success of The Bridges a number of stores are either undergoing refurbishment or moving to larger premises within the centre. Boots and Debenhams are being extensively refurbished, Tucci has relocated to a larger unit and Internacionale has had a makeover. New additions to the retail line up include Envy, Select, AB10 and HSBC.

A superb, award-winning management team is headed by Phil Steele, winners two years in a row of Land Securities’ Values into Action team award. Recent initiatives include the introduction of a gift card for shoppers supported by MasterCard Maestro and new glass display pods to highlight store branding.

Tenants enjoy a specially-produced newsletter and regular contact with management, and 93% of them say Land Securities adheres to its core values with 87% giving a good or excellent satisfaction rating. A glossy magazine highlights shopping, offers, events and competitions at The Bridges.

The next few years will be exciting for Land Securities at The Bridges, and we hope to be able to further enhance the retail offer for both the intensely loyal shoppers as well as the increasingly large number of visitors to the city.