Retail: Bullring enjoys strong start to festive trading period
ALL this week TheBusinessDesk.com will be focusing on stories relating to the retail sector as it approaches the crucial Christmas trading period.
BIRMINGHAM’S Bullring Shopping Centre has seen a strong start to its busy festive season with more than 320,000 customers heading through the doors of the mall for the first weekend in December.
The region’s most visited shopping centre was boosted by numerous retailer promotions and the annual Christmas Comes Early event at Selfridges.
Tim Walley, General Manager at Bullring, said: “We’ve had a great start to the Christmas trading period with the launch of the new Playstation console and Black Friday deals.”
The centre has also started its extended opening hours with shops set to stay open until 10pm on weekdays.
The centre offering has been boosted this year by the opening of Selfridge’s new Balcony restaurant, which looks out onto the centre.
Located on the fourth floor of the department store, The Balcony is billed as being ‘fashionably British’, serving food and drinks with a “playful twist in a stylish and contemporary environment to the fashionistas of the city”.
The Balcony is being run by Searcys, the restaurant and bar operator famed for its champagne bars as well as being the operator of the new Rep Bar. Its portfolio includes St Pancras Grand Brasserie and a private members club at the top of the Gherkin.
The Balcony will be open every day from 10am through to 10pm. Visitors can expect traditional favourites such as fish and chips, as well as more unusual dishes including chorizo hash browns and chicken & waffles.
The brasserie will also offer an extensive Champagne list, skinny cocktails, afternoon tea and quirky seasonal treats including plant pot cakes, edible flower cocktails, and brussel sprout tapas.
The menu has been devised by Arnaud Stevens, the Executive Chef for Searcys, who grew up in Birmingham and has worked extensively with world famous chefs such as Gordon Ramsey, Pierre Koffman and Richard Corrigan.
The 120-cover restaurant, left, also features a stylish Moet & Chandon Rosé Champagne Bar, serving the full range from the world’s number one Champagne house. In addition to champagnes, the bar will serve a range of cocktails with a happy hour every day from 5pm to 7pm.
General Manager, Alice Weryk, said: “Our opening weekend has been hugely successful; it’s great to see the city’s appetite for something a little different. The menu we’ve put together aims to express a sense of fun which we believe to be unique to Birmingham’s restaurant scene.
“Selfridges is known for its cutting-edge, bold and stylish personality, and The Balcony aims to reflect this. We can’t wait to see what the city’s diners think of what will be a memorable dining experience.”
