Tens of thousands rush to experience Birmingham’s new Grand Central and John Lewis
THE latest addition to Birmingham’s burgeoning retail offering has proved an instant hit with consumers as an estimated 54,000 people flooded into the city for the opening of the new Grand Central and its adjoining John Lewis department store.
Hundreds of thousands more are expected to flood into the city during the next three days to sample its newest attraction.
Such was the interest in yesterday’s opening that special safety barriers had to be erected on the concourse of the new New Street Station in order to safely corral the visitors into one place prior to being allowed up the escalators.
The fun began shortly after 10am when the ribbon was cut on the new John Lewis and the first of the shoppers was allowed in to the store.
At 250,000 sq ft, the £35m regional flagship is one of the largest John Lewis shops in the UK and its arrival has created 650 jobs across Birmingham and the wider region. John Lewis chose the store’s opening to reveal it had received over 10,000 applications for the new roles – more than 15 applicants per role.
Just before the doors opened, Head of Branch, Lisa Williams addressed the new partners (staff), outlining the importance of opening the business’ first full-line department store in four years. She spoke of her pride in the Birmingham shop being chosen to debut several of the retailer’s new concepts and services, and thanked the partners for their hard work and dedication in the run up to the opening.
To open the new shop, Ms Williams cut the ribbon alongside the first three local causes John Lewis Birmingham will support as part of its charitable giving scheme, Community Matters – Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, homelessness charity SIFA Fireside and Birmingham Trees for Life.
The new store features 350,000 items, spread across four floors including fashion, beauty, home and technology ranges. Also unveiled were the retailer’s new fashion and lifestyle concept, loved&found and its first spa, &Beauty.
As well as a café, dubbed The Place to Eat – which offers spectacular views over the surrounding cityscape, the fourth features a new Community Hub, which proudly showcases the regionally produced goods sold in store.
These include the Emma Bridgwater, Denby and Spode pottery brands plus Herefordshire-based drinks maker Chase and lesser-known companies such as Coventry’s Sitting Firm, one of the last chair makers in the UK.
Special jewellery collections from designers in the Jewellery Quarter are also being sold in-store.
Continuing the local theme, televisions in the Technology department were also replaying the partnership’s specially-commissioned film, Forward – which is dedicated to the people of Birmingham.
Andy Street, managing director, John Lewis said: “Today sends a clear message that John Lewis is firmly committed to the British High Street and that physical shops remain as important to us as they do to our customers.
“Birmingham is a city which we have wanted to be a part of for many years and the New Street Station and Grand Central development offered us the perfect opportunity to make this a reality.
“Our new Birmingham regional flagship shop is a bold expression of the very best of John Lewis in 2015 and it is particularly exciting that customers will be able to step directly from New Street Station, into four floors of inspiring fashion, home and technology.”
Lisa Williams, Head of Branch, added: “Birmingham is a city that has always led the way, so it feels right that Birmingham is home to our most innovative shop to date. My team and I are looking forward to welcoming customers to what is a unique retail space.
“Our recruitment process has been incredibly successful, with unprecedented demand – at one point we were receiving one application every minute. We have built a great team, with our 650 partners coming from right across the region.
“Becoming a part of the local community is incredibly important to us and I was delighted to be joined by the three local charities we are supporting to officially open the shop. We are excited to welcome customers for the first time and hope that they will be as delighted in this new shopping experience as we are.”
In a further attempt to support the city, the store will open the catwalk show at this year’s Style Birmingham Live.
Taking place on Saturday and Sunday at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery’s Gas Hall, Style Birmingham Live will be a celebration of fashion, shopping and beauty hosted by popular TV personality, Mark Wright.
At Style Birmingham Live John Lewis will be showing key pieces from its autumn/winter collection. This includes Somerset by Alice Temperley, Bruce by Bruce Oldfield, Kin, Reiss, Jaeger and a selection of brands from John Lewis’s brand new fashion and lifestyle concept loved&found, including Des Petits Hauts and Samsoe & Samsoe.
Steve Hewlett, BID manager at Retail Birmingham, said: “We have some fantastic brands on board this year and we’re thrilled to now have the support of Birmingham’s much-anticipated John Lewis.
“John Lewis is the cornerstone of all the exciting developments taking place in Birmingham this September so what better way to celebrate than to open our catwalk shows at Style Birmingham Live – the city’s fashion and shopping event of the year.”
Many shoppers yesterday were also keen to explore the delights of the new shops and cafes within the wider Grand Central mall.
These include many names new to 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. Although several, such as bookseller Foyles have yet to open.
Added to these are the likes of Fat Face, Jo Malone, Jacques Vert, Monsoon, Accessorise, Foot Locker, Holland & Barrett and others.
However, there are still many units vacant – possibly as many as a quarter – with retailers perhaps waiting to see the initial response to the centre before deciding whether to open.
If they do then they will probably be able to share in a projected footfall running into the millions as the retailers gear up for the Christmas rush.
Diners will also be well served with an array of vendors and styles. The smells of which fill the centre as you walk around.
At 500,000 sq ft, the new centre can comfortably house the 66 retailers and restaurants, which is just as well because it is expected to attract more than 50 million visitors a year – many likely to come this weekend in what promises to be one of the most vibrant 48 hours in the city’s history.
