Region’s retail success story

Nov 6 2007 By The Journal

YOU name it, you can find it here. Our region is – quite simply – rich in retail. There are enough shopping centres, high streets, retail parks and independent boutiques to get even the most seasoned of shoppers excited.

And the future for retail in the region looks brighter still.

With the redevelopment of Newcastle’s Eldon Square under way, the 21st birthday celebrations of the MetroCentre in full swing and the plans to redevelop the Pilgrim Street area of Newcastle, there has never been a better time to mark the success of retailers in our region.

It is this retail excellence that has attracted the prestigious BCSC Conference and Showcase to The Sage Gateshead.

An astonishing 3,000 delegates have booked to visit the event that takes place from today until November, 7.

The deluge of visitors will undoubtedly act as a huge boost for businesses in the region – hoteliers, restaurant owners and, of course, retailers all set to benefit from their custom.

The conference has also meant the construction of Newcastle and Gateshead’s biggest ever exhibition space.

Contractors started work last week on the innovative free-standing exhibition space located in the Mill Road car park adjacent to The Sage Gateshead.

Now complete, the 5,500sq m building, will be used to house around 100 exhibitors taking part in the trade event’s showcase.

Keynote speakers at the 2007 Conference are set to include personalities such as Lord (Sebastian) Coe and Sir Bob Geldof.

Eldon Square is the focus of shopping in Newcastle. With 156 stores, including John Lewis, Fenwick and Marks & Spencer, Eldon Square is at heart of the city centre and is a must-see for visitors and locals alike. It offers a comprehensive range of retailers from national multiples to specialists as well as restaurants and bars.

The centre attracts 25 million people a year and is aiming to play a significant role in Newcastle’s vision to create a vibrant, modern European city.

In fact Eldon Square is currently undergoing a massive revamp. Three major development projects – ES North, ES South and ES West – will ensure that Eldon Square continues to offer modern retail space and create exciting opportunities for new retailers to secure a prime location in one of the UK’s top ten shopping centres.

Facing onto Old Eldon Square, new restaurants Strada and Wagamama have brought new vitality to the area, offering a new dining destination.

There are plans for a major new department store, leisure outlets, offices, hotels and student housing in the Pilgrim Street area of Newcastle.

This will create 3,000 jobs and is expected to bring investment of around £800m into the region.

Covering 33 acres the project, which will focus on the neglected east side of Pilgrim Street, is designed to reinforce Newcastle’s position as a major shopping capital by reusing historic buildings for a modern purpose, including the disused fire station.

The site is owned by developer Multiplex and it plans to create 75,000sq ft more shopping floor space in the city centre by 2016.

The new scheme is designed to build on the success of the Eldon Square development as well as neighbouring Northumberland Street to create a “Golden Triangle” of shopping.

The new shopping area will be around half the size of the expanded Eldon Square and there could be around 200,000sq ft of office space with new restaurants and cafe bars.

Other ideas include a new cinema following the closure of the Odeon on Pilgrim Street and better links with the Quayside.

At the heart of the scheme is a new flagship department store to complement the likes of Fenwick, Marks & Spencer and John Lewis, and the new Debenhams store planned in Eldon Square.

The MetroCentre, across the river in Gateshead, is Europe's largest shopping and leisure centre and it has everything you could possibly need for a good day out.

MetroCentre is just three miles south west of Newcastle and boasts some brands that cannot be found anywhere else in the North-East or indeed in the UK.

With almost 330 shops including major department stores such as Debenhams, House of Fraser and Marks & Spencer, MetroCentre has something for everyone.

In addition smaller independent stores in the themed areas – The Forum, The Studio, The Village and Garden Court – guarantee that you can find that unique or unusual gift for every member of the family or friends.

The Centre’s leisure attractions include the New MetroLand, Europe's largest indoor theme park, MetroCentre’s 11-screen cinema, the Megabowl Entertainment Centre offering 20 lanes of computerised ten pin bowling and Quasar – a laser game for all the family to enjoy.

There are also over 50 restaurants and 10,000 free car parking spaces.

Proposals also include high street shops.

So with all this going on it is easy to see why we were chosen to host this exciting conference.

Here’s hoping it’s a huge success.

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Watch out for 2008's festival of shopping

A SHOPPING festival is set to show just how passionate the region is about retail. Newcastle and Gateshead’s first ever Shopping Festival will take place from May 24 until June 8 next year.

The NewcastleGateshead Initiative – the organisation behind the event – says The Shopping Festival aims to encompass all that we love about shopping and celebrate the unique quality and variety of places to shop.

It wants to put the spotlight on the retailers who create a thriving retail market in and around Newcastle and Gateshead.

The festival is, they claim, also an opportunity to show that the region has more to shopping than just high street fashion – boasting a range of restaurants, bars, museums and art galleries.

The region has a great retail history that deserves to recognised, claim the organisation.

And it is hoped that the legacy that the festival will leave behind is more than just busy tills and happy retailers.

It is thought the festival could also provide the opportunity to showcase the destination to key influential retail developers and create
a buzz around the potential for further growth.

The development projects under way in Pilgrim Street, Eldon Square and at the MetroCentre are a superb platform to show just what is possible, says the NewcastleGateshead Initiative.

A range of high-profile events, seminars and debates are currently being planned for the three-week event.

The NewcastleGateshead Initiative will be issuing an e-newsletter closer to the event with more details.

To receive a copy, send your email address to ngi@ngi.org.uk clearly marking the title “Shopping Festival Registration”.