Jobs to be created following shopping centre’s multi-million pound revamp
A West Yorkshire shopping centre is to create around 30 jobs when its £5m facelift completes next year.
The work at The Ridings in Wakefield, which is being paid for by landlord NewRiver REIT, will focus on a number of areas in the 34-year old shopping centre.
Already a number of initial works have been completed with a new events space in the middle mall, and the relocation of Grind/Melt Café to a new venue at the Almshouse Lane entrance.
The £5m refurbishment programme will include renovated toilets and parent and child facilities, a ‘pop up’ shop that will showcase the plans to the public allowing them to input and feed back ideas, and also provide independent local businesses with a flexible trading space, as well as students for activities such as entrepreneurial challenges.
Other improvements will also include a new customer service lounge will provide additional shopper services like mobile device charging and Click and Collect services, ‘The Ridings Kitchen,’ a new food and drink zone at the Cathedral entrance with local caterers providing the food offer, and an indoor market and food hall on the lower mall, selling locally sourced produce.
NewRiver director Paul Wright says: “Since purchasing The Ridings in 2016, we’ve worked on a number of strategic development areas aimed at delivering improvements to The Ridings and adding something unique to Wakefield City Centre. Following the success of the Wakefield BID vote in February 2017, we’re delighted to be investing in the city and looking forward to delivering value for city centre businesses and the local community.”
The Ridings also announced that Lee Appleton has joined as regional centre director.
“The Ridings has literally been at the heart of Wakefield for 34 years and so we are delighted to announce that with this £5m refurbishment, it will remain that way,” he said.
When The Ridings originally opened its doors in 1983, the shopping centre boasted the very first food court in the UK.
