Next to invest £6m in flagship store at White Rose Shopping Centre

Next is set to invest in a new 55,000 sq ft flagship store, utilising the former BHS department store space, at White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds.

With a £6m investment, the fashion retailer will upsize and re-locate from its existing 29,000 sq ft store, taking nearly double the floor space to create a new two-floor flagship.

The new store will be at the centre of the scheme opposite Topshop, TopMan, Tessuti and adjacent to Miss Selfridge.

As well as extending its current collections, the flagship store will also Next to stock merchandise from its children and homeware department which are currently not sold in the centre.

The store is due to open in June 2017.

Next will undertake redesign and reconfiguration works to the flagship unit, including an increase in the amount of external glazing, adding a double-height exterior frontage as well as a contemporary store fit-out in line with the recent modernisations to the Next at Bluewater in Kent.

Next’s decision to invest in the former BHS unit follows the current 65,000 sq ft leisure expansion works at White Rose Shopping Centre, which will introduce an 11-screen Cineworld IMAX cinema and six new restaurants, including Wagamama, TGI Fridays, Pizza Hut and Chiquito, to the area.

Rob Jewell, portfolio director at Land Securities, which owns White Rose, stated: “This significant upsize for Next is a major signal that retailers are eager to invest and expand with us at White Rose Shopping Centre – one of the strongest performing centres in our retail portfolio.

“As a result, the centre’s retail offering continues to evolve, boosted by our significant leisure and entertainment extension that will open in the Summer, helping to support and underpin the demand for a full-day destination experience from our loyal customers.”

JLL acted for Land Securities, whilst Next acted for itself.

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