Grand Central ready to take centre stage in Birmingham’s retail scene
BIRMINGHAM’S hugely anticipated new premium shopping and dining complex Grand central was set for its official opening today.
Thousands of people are expected to flood onto the new concourse of New Street Station to get their first glimpse of the new centre, which includes many new names to Birmingham’s retail offering.
This morning also sees the official opening of the Grand Central anchor store, the new £35m John Lewis Birmingham.
Grand Central has been five years in the making and the £150m facility is the crowning glory of the £600m redevelopment of New Street Station.
The centre, which is expected to create around 1,000 new jobs, boasts 66 new shops and restaurants with well over half of them never before seen in the city.
Some of the biggest and best names in the fashion retail sector have taken shops in the centre with The White Company, Hobbs, Joules, Foyles, Cath Kidston, Neal’s Yard, and Tiger all coming to the city for the first time.
Diners will be able to sample an array of different types of food with Tapas Revolution, Pho, Crepe Affaire, Frizzenti and Square Pie all opening in Birmingham for the first time.
At 500,000 sq ft, the new centre can comfortably house the 66 retailers and restaurants, as well as one of the biggest John Lewis stores in the UK – a 250,000 sq ft, four-floored space that comes complete with a spa, its own restaurant, and enough stock to fill the Genting Arena twice over.
Grand Central is expected to attract more than 50 million visitors a year and thousands are expected to come this weekend in what promises to be one of the most vibrant 48 hours in the city’s history with Villa Park alone set to host 80,000 people this weekend as it stages two games in the Rugby World Cup.
Add to this Style Birmingham, Birmingham Weekender and The Big Hoot then the city is gearing up to showcase itself in the grand manner.
Sir Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The arrival of Grand Central provides even more shopping and dining choice for people in the city centre. With its stainless steel facade wrapping around the entire building, Grand Central makes an impressive impact on Birmingham’s ever improving architectural landscape. The creation of over 1,000 jobs in retail, hospitality, catering and customer service also provides a significant number of opportunities for local people.”
Centre manager Jonathan Cheetham said: “Grand Central has been brought to life through a culmination of a dedicated, committed group from across the city. It’s a proud day for Birmingham and demonstrates our continued retail power to bring these high quality shops and restaurants to the Birmingham consumer, marking another chapter in the on-going renaissance of our great city.”
Richard Brown, Grand Central development director, said: “The years of wait have been well worth it. Not only is New Street Station a magnificent new development for passengers and commuters, but Grand Central also offers a unique and unforgettable shopping experience for all. We are proud that Birmingham is at forefront of such an impressive aesthetic design which will be enjoyed and admired by people across the UK and worldwide.”
The centre has been brought to life by more than 3,500 construction workers including builders, electricians, plumbers, shop-fitters, plasterers and many more.
The build began in 2011 with an initial demolition phase – over 6,000 tonnes of concrete were removed from the Pallasades Shopping Centre to allow the remodelling of what would become Grand Central as well as opening it up to allow the natural light to filter though. The entire process was an environmentally considerate project, with 98% of the material from the demolished Stephenson Street residential tower block being recycled for use on other building projects.
A stand-out piece of the new development is the atrium that allows natural light to flood into the station concourse. The new concourse itself is five times the size of London Euston and was rebuilt without any interruption to rail services for the 170,000 passengers who use it every day.
Stakeholders involved in the project have been Birmingham City Council Network Rail, Mace, DTZ, and John Lewis Partnership.
