The Broadway welcomes 250,000 people on opening weekend

THE first four days at The Broadway attracted 250,000 people to the Bradford shopping centre as the city took its first look at the long-awaited development.

The £260m scheme includes 70 retailers and leisure operators, of which 30 are new to Bradford, including H&M, Paperchase and Accessorize.

Myf Ryan, Westfield’s director of marketing, said: “Footfall has exceeded our expectations, which we think is due to the strong retail offer as well as The Broadway’s great location and how it works so well to connect Bradford city centre together.”

It is expected that The Broadway will propel Bradford from 85th to 26th in the next CACI retail rankings to be published, and make Bradford the third largest retail destination in Yorkshire.

 

The Westfield site is also helping launch more local brands. The centre’s only bar, Made of Bradford, has been delivered by Bradford Brewery, and the site has welcomed homegrown entrepreneur Aravind Venkana, who is launching his first Wrapchic franchise at The Broadway serving Indian and Mexican fast food. He is creating 12 jobs with his venture.

TheBusinessDesk.com, in a project supported by Watson Buckle and Barclays, has looked at the opportunities Bradford has, as well as the challenges it faces, as it looks to build on the launchpad The Broadway presents.