Brum gets its own Grand Central

THE Pallasades Shopping Centre is to be rebranded as Grand Central Birmingham when it opens in autumn 2014.

The nod to New York comes as the existing shopping centre undergoes a transformation process as part of the New Street Station redevelopment scheme. It will be anchored by a new John Lewis department store.

Research shows that more than 100 aspirational retailers do not currently have stand-alone stores in Birmingham and it is planned that Grand Central Birmingham will house many of these brands.

The 250,000 sq ft John Lewis store will be complemented by an additional 200,000 sqft of retail space for more than 50 new stores.

The new retail area is an integral part of the £600m project to transform New Street Station, which is being delivered by Network Rail on behalf of funding partners including Birmingham City Council, Department for Transport and Centro.

The new station concourse will be three and a half times bigger than at present and enclosed by a giant atrium that will flood both Grand Central and the concourse with natural light.

Keith Stone, leasing director for Grand Central, said: “Birmingham doesn’t currently have a centrally-located shopping destination for premium fashion brands such as can be found in other major UK cities.

“Grand Central will now fulfill this demand within the city. We have already had a great response from the retailers we have spoken with.”

Andy Street, managing director of John Lewis, said: “We are very pleased our new full-line department store will be anchoring Grand Central Birmingham and look forward to playing an active role in cementing Birmingham’s status as a key retail destination.”