Next will upsize and re-locate from its current 29,000 sq ft store, getting nearly double the area to create a two-floor flagship. The store will be at the centre of the scheme facing Topshop, TopMan, Tessuti and next to Miss Selfridge. The enlarged store will enable the retailer to extend its current collections, as well as stock merchandise from its homeware and children department which are currently not sold in the centre. The store is scheduled to open in June 2017.
The retailer is investing £6 million to the flagship unit including a considerable boost in the amount of external glazing, adding a double-height outside frontage as well as an up-to-date store fit-out in line with the recent refresh to the Next at Bluewater in Kent.
Next’s choice to invest in the former BHS store follows the current 65,000 sq ft expansion works at White Rose Centre, which will include an 11-screen Cineworld IMAX cinema and six new restaurants, including Wagamama, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, and Chiquito, to the area. Both developments complement the recently refreshed F&B offer at the 737,385 sq ft centre, which tripled the total size of the eating area provided by ‘The Balcony’ – a 20,000 sq ft £7 million dining destination which includes various grab and go offers as well as six informal dining choices such as Frankie & Benny’s, Pizza Express and Nando’s.
