Revamp for The Ridings aims to '˜restore pride'

THE owners of a Yorkshire shopping centre are hoping to '˜restore pride' with a £5m revamp to attract new shoppers and fight back against the competition.
The Ridings Shopping Centre in Wakefield is undergoing a £5m faceliftThe Ridings Shopping Centre in Wakefield is undergoing a £5m facelift
The Ridings Shopping Centre in Wakefield is undergoing a £5m facelift

NewRiver REIT, which bought The Ridings Centre in Wakefield for £108m in December 2015, will focus on a number of areas, including the expansion of its food and drink offering.

The transformation, which will create 30 jobs, will include a new a new food and drink zone, with space for a handful of food outlets, plus an indoor market and food hall.

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The 34-year-old shopping site has a new centre director to oversee the work, which will be completed in spring 2018.

Lee Appleton, who replaces Eileen Holroyd, previously managed the Prospect Shopping Centre in Hull and spent over 17 years in management roles at Debenhams.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Post yesterday, he said: “Everyone harks back to the good old days of The Ridings but this investment will bring a different dynamic to the centre. The industry and shopping patterns are changing.

“We recognised we haven’t got as many food and drink options as we would like so we are trying to grow that market and encourage new operators to join us. It’s what shoppers expect now.”

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Mr Appleton said the investment would enable the centre to raise its game and compete with the city’s newer shopping centre Trinity Walk, which already has more food and drink options.

Some initial work has been completed including 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 food and drink zone at the Cathedral entrance will be known as The Ridings Kitchen, with local caterers providing the food offer.

Nine shop units have been taken out to create a large communal seating area with space for 200 people plus space for up to five hot food outlets and a dessert bar.

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The centre will also create an indoor market and food hall on the lower mall, known as All Saints Market, selling locally sourced produce.

The toilets and parents and child facilities will be renovated and a ‘pop up’ shop will be installed to showcase the plans to the public and allow them to suggest ideas.

Meanwhile, a new customer service lounge will provide additional shopper services like mobile device charging and click and collect services.

The centre recently launched its new ‘at the heart of Wakefield’ branding to outline its ambitions of being a focal point for the city of Wakefield.

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New signage throughout the centre will use Yorkshire dialect to inject personality into the centre, Mr Appleton said.

He added: “We are trying to change perception as to what The Ridings aspires to be. We also want to showcase our Yorkshire heritage through the materials we use during the renovations.

“We are creating a shopping environment that is fit for purpose. We will be looking at every entrance and our own teams to improve the whole customer experience.

The Ridings at the cutting edge of retail

When The Ridings originally opened its doors in 1983, the shopping centre boasted the very first food court in the UK, changing the face of British retail.

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It took four years to complete and was built with a unique design so that shoppers could enter and exit from the street on all levels.

The centre boasted the first food court in the UK and the first glass wall climber lift, which was an exact copy of those in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta.

It was named European Shopping Centre of the Year in 1984.