Here is the statement issued this morning by the Croydon Partnership which has been working since 2012 on the redevelopment scheme for the Whitgift Centre and Centrale in central Croydon:
One of Westfield’s imagined views of how the new mall might look
The Croydon Partnership, the joint venture between Westfield and Hammerson, today announces that a new co-located John Lewis department store and Waitrose supermarket will anchor the new £1.4billion redevelopment of the Croydon retail town centre.
The 165,000 sq ft, four-level John Lewis shop, which will incorporate a Waitrose on the ground floor, represents a significant investment by the John Lewis Partnership in Croydon town centre. The joint development will bring John Lewis and Waitrose together in a new way, delivering the customer experience that the John Lewis Partnership is renowned for to Croydon customers under one roof.
The full-line department store and supermarket will be a showcase for the two brands, creating the most contemporary shopping experience for customers, and providing the very latest concepts and services.
The two stores will be part of the exciting redevelopment which will offer over 300 shops, including a brand new M&S; restaurants, cafés; leisure facilities and a multi-screen cinema complex. In addition, up to 1,000 new homes will be built, reinforcing Croydon’s ambition as one of London’s most desirable neighbourhoods.
Westfield director John Burton: “Delighted”
John Burton, Head of Development, Westfield Europe, said: “The Croydon Partnership is delighted to deliver two of the UK’s leading brands. This is a major milestone and is a demonstration of the strength of Croydon and the project. John Lewis is the most requested addition to the town centre and its arrival will ensure Croydon’s future as the retail and leisure capital for south London.”
Peter Cole, Chief Investment Officer, Hammerson, said: “The decision by John Lewis and Waitrose to open anchor stores in Croydon town centre highlights the importance of this growing regional catchment and the desire from leading retailers to have a significant presence in the town. Over the coming months we are looking to make further progress with the land assembly process ahead of commencing detailed design and the pre-letting of the scheme.”
Craig Inglis, Customer Director at John Lewis, said: “We are delighted to be opening a new full-line department store in the newly developed centre, offering the services and products for which we are well-known. This exciting new shop will showcase our latest thinking in shop design, creating a modern space for shoppers with customer experience at its heart.”
Ben Stimson, Retail Director at Waitrose, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to bring the Waitrose and John Lewis brands together under one roof as part of a state-of-the-art retail and leisure destination and reinforces our commitment to Croydon’s future.”
Leader of Croydon Council, Councillor Tony Newman, said: “This is great news for Croydon. John Lewis and Waitrose’s commitment to be part of the £1.4bn redevelopment of The Whitgift Shopping Centre demonstrates their confidence in Croydon’s regeneration, its infrastructure and its growth and, most importantly, as a place that people want to be.
Council leader Tony Newman: starting work next year
“We look forward to work starting on Croydon’s new world-class retail and leisure development next year and the wealth of offerings this will bring to local people, and to welcoming John Lewis to our town centre.
“The redevelopment of Croydon’s retail centre is part of the £5.25bn plans, which are already under way to transform the town. The investment in Croydon’s major regeneration plans will see new retail, dining, leisure, offices and homes making it the best place in south London to live, work, play and shop.
“Today’s announcement follows recent progress on this major town centre project with Croydon Council and the Mayor of London’s planning approval at the end of last year. The retail redevelopment will create 7,000 new jobs to the area and will be in the top 10 shopping destinations in the UK.
“The earliest date for construction to commence will be during 2019. The construction timeline coincides with Croydon Council’s series of infrastructure projects that will enable Croydon’s growth zone to deliver the £5.25bn regeneration programme.”
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Fantastic news
Come on Westfield naysayers… you have to accept this is positive news?
(Waits for downthumbs…)
Thought so 🙂
Sorry to disappoint you. A silly face with a raspberry if could be bothered to find one.
Sorry David looks like i did not see your announcement of the silver lining located in a very large cumulonimbus. First there is a real load of old gumpf here. Ever been to Westfield Stratford? It has a John Lewis store located above a Waitrose. It may not be 4 stories, but it does not sound like the great original development hyped here.
Secondly it is rather surprising how much a second fiddle M&S are playing here. You would have thought they would have wanted a parity of esteem, but perhaps all they can hope for when this behemoth opens is that they will still be in existence.
Thirdly and most importantly they still have no definite date for a commencement after six years. Please compare with the concrete plans for the Brent Cross plan which funnily enough weighs in for the same £1.4 billion as the Croydon scheme. How convenient. Perhaps they will share their planning designs too. They are not as far down the road as the Brent Cross development and until you see a real starting date set in stone, i wouldn’t crow too prematurely about the alleged benefits of a scheme that is designed to accrue to the developers and the freeholder and everyone else as only a convenient by-product.
http://www.brentcrosslondon.co.uk
“Fantastic news”?
When you take off the rose-tinted spectacles, consider this…
This project has been hanging around Croydon since 2012.
It was meant to be completed in 2017.
It has so far cost the developers £400million.
It has so far delivered zero benefits for the people and businesses of Croydon.
And this fantastic news is that a retailer who already has two stores in the borough is about to move them into the supermall, taking up barely one-third the floor space once occupied by Allder’s, and all on undoubtedly very favourable terms.
You might be taken for a mug, David, but please don’t expect others to be quite so gullable.