CSC to rebrand Trafford Centre

THE Trafford Centre is to be rebranded as part of a £25m overhaul by its parent company Capital Shopping Centres.

The giant retail and leisure destination, which attracts around 30 million visitors each year, will be know as the intu Trafford Centre from May.

CSC is rebranding all of its venues in this manner, with Lakeside in Essex becoming intu Lakeside and Newcastle’s Metrocentre intu Mentrocentre. The Manchester Arndale is not affected as it is not wholly owned by CSC.

The group is also changing its name too, and from February 18 will become intu properties plc. A new e-commerce will follow soon after.

Free Wifi is being rolled out too in all the shopping centres, begining in March with the Trafford Centre.

The overall investment of £25m, comprising £7m on brand creation and roll out, £8m on digital infrastructure and £10m on the acquisition and start-up phase of intu.co.uk

CSC chief executive David Fischel said: ““With over half the UK population visiting our shopping centres each year, we have the scale to seize the opportunities provided by the changes in the retail marketplace.

“We are investing £25m in digital infrastructure, an eCommerce website and a new brand. We very much look forward to implementing the initiatives announced today, which mark an exciting next phase in the evolution of our market-leading UK shopping centre business, to the benefit of customers, retailers, staff and investors. ”

CSC acquired the Trafford Centre from Manchester-based Peel Group in 2011. Peel is now one of its largest shareholders.