Restaurant quarter plans in £110m shopping centre investment

The owner of Merry Hill shopping centre is planning a 100,000 sq ft food and leisure extension as part of a £110m investment programme.

intu, which bought out its Australian joint venture partner last year to take on sole ownership, is beginning a seven-year plan to improve and refresh the 1.6m sq ft centre in Dudley.

Architects 3DReid have been appointed to design the extension, with property agents Savills and JLL identifying tenants, according to Property Week.

Plans could be submitted for approval by the end of this year.

The creation of a restaurant quarter – in addition to its existing fast food and coffee offer – is part of intu’s ambitions to move the shopping centre more upmarket.

Recently luxury watch company TAG Heuer as the location of its first store in the West Midlands.

In February, intu told investors it had “several projects” that would help to deliver its new strategy, including “right-sizing a number of anchors and major space users…and repositioning the catering and leisure offering”.