Partner Article

John Lewis to open in Croydon’s planned £1 billion shopping centre

Retailer John Lewis have reached a preliminary deal to open a department store in Croydon’s planned £1 billion shopping centre at the Whitgift Centre site.

According to the Croydon Guardian, the retail giant has agreed the design and layout for a five-storey store in the planned development with Westfield and partner developers Hammerson.

An inquiry began on Tuesday to hear the case for and objections to a Croydon Council compulsory purchase order to allow the developers, under the name the Croydon Partnership, to buy the Whitgift Centre and surrounding land.

John Lewis has written to inquiry inspector Paul Lewis to confirm its interest

The retailer has demanded a 215,000sq ft building with a 155,000sq ft retail area including a click-and-collect zone, with 2,000-space adjacent car park.

Westfield’s director of development John Burton said: “John Lewis is not entirely motivated by its commercial ends, it’s a partnership and it is concerned with the fabric of the town centre that it is entering.

“John Lewis [is part of] the town’s strategic management board. That’s quite unique. They have not finalised their commercial commitment to Croydon yet but they are working with the council to help shape and work out what the future is.

“We have agreed the design and the layout of the possible store and I believe we will conclude a commercial deal with John Lewis in the next couple of weeks, or months to be more realistic.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .