Walsall’s Saddlers Centre secures new anchor retailer
DEPARTMENT store retailer T J Hughes has become the latest firm to take a leasing at Walsall’s Saddlers Shopping Centre.
The retailer has taken a lease on a 30,000 sq ft ground store unit which was vacated by Argos earlier this year.
The arrival of the retailer coincides with the expansion of shopping facilities in the town with a new Primark store for The Bridge and the St Matthew’s Quarter recently moving a step further.
Saddlers Centre owner securing Topland said it was thrilled to have secured such a large leasing agreement – which is the 55th signed by the company since it purchased the centre in February, 2013.
Steve Pope, Asset Director of Topland said the new store would anchor the centre alongside Marks & Spencer on the upper level.
He said: “When we first purchased the centre we set out to bring more shopping choice to the Saddlers Centre loyal customer base and a new T J Hughes Department store brings exactly that, bringing everything from Home & Furniture, Garden & Outdoor, Beds & Bedding, Travel, Electricals, Fragrance & Beauty, and even Toys & Games.
“Customers will have more reasons to shop local. Convenient shopping on people’s doorstep with convenient, reasonably priced parking and good transport links to Bradford Street bus station and Walsall train station.”
The new store is scheduled to open in early October 2015 ahead of the Christmas period.
We do expect TJ Hughes to deliver significantly more footfall than the old Argos store and help us to deliver our strategy for the Saddlers Centre,” added Pope.
The signing comes on the heels of the recent Burger King lease deal, which kickstarted Topland’s plan this year to create a Food Hub in the Saddlers Centre to offer more customer choice.
Topland said the Burger King outlet had been well received by shoppers and the whole area around it has been transformed, opened up, lightened and brightened.
Topland is also carrying out landlord works to create a unit for the NHS Walk-in-Centre currently housed in Market Square, Digbeth. The Walk-in-Centre will open in the Saddlers Centre by the end of the year and will introduce convenient health services in the centre of town.
The Saddlers Centre letting agents are Jones Lang Lasalle (London Office) and Wright Silverwood (Birmingham). The scheme is managed by DTZ (Birmingham office).
