Merseyway Shopping Centre
Encyclopedia
Merseyway Shopping Centre is a large Shopping Centre in Stockport
, England
, forming the basis of the town's shopping area. It was opened in 1965 and extensively refurbished in 1995. It consists mainly of a large pedestrianised street, where at one point there are two levels of walkways for shoppers, and there is access to both the first and ground floor of many shops. There is a small area of covered mall
at the western edge of the centre, constructed in 1995 housing retailers such as Waterstones and Sports Direct
. The developer was Hammerson
and they owned the centre until 2003 when they sold the leasehold to a private property company (Stockport Holdings Ltd) for the Jersey-based Halabi family trust. This was until 2009 when the centre was placed into the hands of receivers. It hosts around 95 retailers. Shops located within the centre include Debenhams
and Marks & Spencer
. More retail property surrounds the south and east of the centre including The Peel Centre
and the towns' historic Market. It is open 9:00am – 5:30pm Monday to Saturday and 10:00am – 4:00pm on Sunday, however some outlets opening hours may vary. This is unlike other shopping destinations in Greater Manchester
, such as the Trafford Centre
, which are often open till late (8pm or 10pm) on a weekday. However in the run up to Christmas the centre opens till 8pm on a Wednesday evening.
The centre and Stockport
's shopping area attract about 14 million visitors per year, making it a popular shopping destination in the Greater Manchester Urban Area
. Its catchment covers much of the affluent areas of North Cheshire
and South Manchester
, competing with other major retail destinations in the area such as Manchester
City Centre, Ashton-under-Lyne
and the Trafford Centre
. The centre also hosts numerous events throughout the year, with a particular focus around Christmas to attract shoppers, every year the centre welcomes Santa and his reindeer and shoppers can watch the reindeer being fed with entertainment from Santa and music from various organisations.
The centre's name Merseyway comes from the fact that the centre is built on giant stilts above the River Mersey
and the river runs for the entire length of the centre. In 2001 there were plans to fit glass panels to the pavements within the centre to reveal the River Mersey
underneath, this was a plan to try and boost tourism in the town as the river is entirely covered and hidden while it runs under the centre. However there has been no development of these plans.
The Directors of GVA Grimley have stressed that the centre will continue to trade as normal and all retailers have been notified of the status, they have also said that in the current economic situation they will not seek to sell the centre, they will continue to run the centre and build upon its potential alongside the local authority and under current management DTZ.
, since then it has undergone considerable development. In 1995 it was extensively refurbished including the creation a new area of covered mall at the western edge of the centre facing onto Mersey Square.
, Debenhams
, Marks & Spencer
, Boots and HMV.
There is a large former Woolworths store located in the centre which has remained vacant since that retailer went into administration and the store closed in January 2009.
The Westgate Department Store, formerly known as The Chestergate Department store, (named for the street on which the original facade was located). It has always been under Co-operative
ownership, being owned by various societies. It was rebranded as a Sunwin Department Store in the 1990s by then owners United Co-operatives
, however in 2004 the society decided to sell their Sunwin Department Store business to Anglia Regional Co-operative Society
, and the Stockport store along with the majority of the Sunwin Business were rebranded as Westgate Department Stores in 2005.
To the immediate East of the centre are two of the town's main supermarkets, Sainsbury's and Asda
, both having sizeable stores which is unusual for a town centre, a large Tesco
Extra store is also located close by, on the opposite side of the M60 motorway
. Retail Developments competing for similar tenants have sprung up around the centre since it was opened in 1965, these include The Peel Centre
, The Courts Shopping Centre and the planned Bridgefield development. Additionally some of the more traditional shopping streets such as Hillgate play host to independent retailers due to lower rents, as well as a small collection of national chain stores.
In July 2010, it was announced that the Westgate Department Store
is to close in January 2011, with the store being sold to discount clothing store Primark
. Conversion to Primark was completed in summer 2011.
Also in July 2010, white hoarding appeared on the former Woolworths store, for conversion for another retailer. Later that month signs were erected on the Princes Street end of the shop stating that River Island was the client and who the contractors were. River Island
has now been built and is open.
, via the A6 from Manchester
or Buxton
. There is extensive parking at the centre with a multi-storey carpark spread over a large area, containing 835 spaces and 31 disabled spaces. Additionally there is much more parking surrounding the centre. The town's bus station is located directly opposite the western edge of the centre, and close to the bus station, up the hill is Stockport railway station
, which is accessible via the A6
or via a walkway from the bus station to the railway station.
, who withdrew from the project in August 2008, throwing into doubt the whole of the town centre masterplan. But the council are still keen for another developer to take on the redevelopment scheme. If constructed and when completed it is expected that this development will directly compete with the Merseyway for similar tenants. It has the backing of the council as it is the largest part of the town centre masterplan; 'Future Stockport'.
In 2004 the local council announced that they were drawing up plans to redevelop the centre in conjunction with the owner Stockport Holdings Ltd
In April 2007 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
announced plans for a £2.25million refurbishment of the centre's car park, involving a major cosmetic improvement and a possible increase in the number of spaces.
In August 2008, Lend Lease Corporation
announced their intention to withdraw from the Bridgefield Redevelopment project due to global economic conditions and a drop in profits for 2007, Lend Lease had originally been selected as preferred developer by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
in 2006 and had spent considerable amounts developing plans. This decision has thrown into doubt the large scale redevelopment of this area, and could mean the Merseyway will continue to be the prime retail site in Stockport
for considerable time, but may be redeveloped to provide more retail space.
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, forming the basis of the town's shopping area. It was opened in 1965 and extensively refurbished in 1995. It consists mainly of a large pedestrianised street, where at one point there are two levels of walkways for shoppers, and there is access to both the first and ground floor of many shops. There is a small area of covered mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
at the western edge of the centre, constructed in 1995 housing retailers such as Waterstones and Sports Direct
Sports Direct
Sports Direct International plc is a British retailing group. Founded in 1982 by former county squash coach Mike Ashley, the company is now the UK's largest sporting retailer through a number of retail subsidiaries and sports equipment brands. Although now a publicly traded company on the London...
. The developer was Hammerson
Hammerson
Hammerson plc is a major British property development and investment company. The firm switched to Real Estate Investment Trust status when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
and they owned the centre until 2003 when they sold the leasehold to a private property company (Stockport Holdings Ltd) for the Jersey-based Halabi family trust. This was until 2009 when the centre was placed into the hands of receivers. It hosts around 95 retailers. Shops located within the centre include Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
and Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
. More retail property surrounds the south and east of the centre including The Peel Centre
Stockport Peel Centre
The Peel Centre is a shopping park located in Stockport, Greater Manchester. It currently contains nineteen units, with fourteen currently occupied It is owned and operated by the Peel Land and Property Division of The Peel Group. It currently extends to , with units varying in size...
and the towns' historic Market. It is open 9:00am – 5:30pm Monday to Saturday and 10:00am – 4:00pm on Sunday, however some outlets opening hours may vary. This is unlike other shopping destinations in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, such as the Trafford Centre
Trafford Centre
The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and leisure complex situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, close to the Trafford Park industrial estate and approximately 5 miles from Manchester city centre. It is the highest valued shopping centre in the...
, which are often open till late (8pm or 10pm) on a weekday. However in the run up to Christmas the centre opens till 8pm on a Wednesday evening.
The centre and Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
's shopping area attract about 14 million visitors per year, making it a popular shopping destination in the Greater Manchester Urban Area
Greater Manchester Urban Area
The Greater Manchester Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the large conurbation that encompasses the city of Manchester and the continuous metropolitan area that spreads outwards from it, forming much of Greater Manchester in North West England...
. Its catchment covers much of the affluent areas of North Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and South Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, competing with other major retail destinations in the area such as Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
City Centre, Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
and the Trafford Centre
Trafford Centre
The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and leisure complex situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, close to the Trafford Park industrial estate and approximately 5 miles from Manchester city centre. It is the highest valued shopping centre in the...
. The centre also hosts numerous events throughout the year, with a particular focus around Christmas to attract shoppers, every year the centre welcomes Santa and his reindeer and shoppers can watch the reindeer being fed with entertainment from Santa and music from various organisations.
The centre's name Merseyway comes from the fact that the centre is built on giant stilts above the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
and the river runs for the entire length of the centre. In 2001 there were plans to fit glass panels to the pavements within the centre to reveal the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
underneath, this was a plan to try and boost tourism in the town as the river is entirely covered and hidden while it runs under the centre. However there has been no development of these plans.
In Administration
In February 2009, the centre was placed into the hands of receivers, the directors of GVA Grimley, due to the owners (Stockport Holdings Ltd), placing the centre into Administration. This statement appeared on the centre website on 16 February 2009;The Directors of GVA Grimley have stressed that the centre will continue to trade as normal and all retailers have been notified of the status, they have also said that in the current economic situation they will not seek to sell the centre, they will continue to run the centre and build upon its potential alongside the local authority and under current management DTZ.
History
The centre was opened in 1965, as one of the first shopping precincts in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, since then it has undergone considerable development. In 1995 it was extensively refurbished including the creation a new area of covered mall at the western edge of the centre facing onto Mersey Square.
Retailers
There are around 95 tenants altogether in the centre, consisting of around 4 large department-type stores, which act as the principal anchors, alongside many more smaller stores containing generally specialist retailers. There are few independent traders in the centre as it contains the majority of national Chain Stores in Stockport town centre, there are independent traders located on the shopping streets immediately surrounding the Merseyway, such as Princes Street, The Underbanks and The Market Place. The more notable stores in the centre include; Westgate Department StoresAnglia Regional Co-operative Society
Anglia Regional Co-operative Society Limited is the fifth largest consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It was formed by the merger of the Greater Peterborough Regional and Anglia Co-operative Societies in 1987. The Society has a wide-ranging and extensive portfolio with over 100 stores,...
, Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
, Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
, Boots and HMV.
There is a large former Woolworths store located in the centre which has remained vacant since that retailer went into administration and the store closed in January 2009.
The Westgate Department Store, formerly known as The Chestergate Department store, (named for the street on which the original facade was located). It has always been under Co-operative
Co-op UK
The United Kingdom is home to a widespread and diverse co-operative movement, with over 3 million individual members. Modern co-operation started with the Rochdale Pioneers' shop in the northern English town of Rochdale in 1844....
ownership, being owned by various societies. It was rebranded as a Sunwin Department Store in the 1990s by then owners United Co-operatives
United Co-operatives
United Co-operatives Limited, or simply United Co-op, was the largest regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom until its merger with The Co-operative Group in 2007. The Society operated across Yorkshire, the north west and north Midlands of England...
, however in 2004 the society decided to sell their Sunwin Department Store business to Anglia Regional Co-operative Society
Anglia Regional Co-operative Society
Anglia Regional Co-operative Society Limited is the fifth largest consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It was formed by the merger of the Greater Peterborough Regional and Anglia Co-operative Societies in 1987. The Society has a wide-ranging and extensive portfolio with over 100 stores,...
, and the Stockport store along with the majority of the Sunwin Business were rebranded as Westgate Department Stores in 2005.
To the immediate East of the centre are two of the town's main supermarkets, Sainsbury's and Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
, both having sizeable stores which is unusual for a town centre, a large Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
Extra store is also located close by, on the opposite side of the M60 motorway
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...
. Retail Developments competing for similar tenants have sprung up around the centre since it was opened in 1965, these include The Peel Centre
Stockport Peel Centre
The Peel Centre is a shopping park located in Stockport, Greater Manchester. It currently contains nineteen units, with fourteen currently occupied It is owned and operated by the Peel Land and Property Division of The Peel Group. It currently extends to , with units varying in size...
, The Courts Shopping Centre and the planned Bridgefield development. Additionally some of the more traditional shopping streets such as Hillgate play host to independent retailers due to lower rents, as well as a small collection of national chain stores.
In July 2010, it was announced that the Westgate Department Store
Anglia Regional Co-operative Society
Anglia Regional Co-operative Society Limited is the fifth largest consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It was formed by the merger of the Greater Peterborough Regional and Anglia Co-operative Societies in 1987. The Society has a wide-ranging and extensive portfolio with over 100 stores,...
is to close in January 2011, with the store being sold to discount clothing store Primark
Primark
Primark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...
. Conversion to Primark was completed in summer 2011.
Also in July 2010, white hoarding appeared on the former Woolworths store, for conversion for another retailer. Later that month signs were erected on the Princes Street end of the shop stating that River Island was the client and who the contractors were. River Island
River Island
River Island is one of Britain's best known high street fashion brands and can be found in most cities across the UK. The brand also has stores in Singapore, Turkey, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Middle East.-History:...
has now been built and is open.
Transport links
The centre is easily accessible by car, from junctions 26, 27 or 1 of the M60 motorwayM60 motorway
The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...
, via the A6 from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
or Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
. There is extensive parking at the centre with a multi-storey carpark spread over a large area, containing 835 spaces and 31 disabled spaces. Additionally there is much more parking surrounding the centre. The town's bus station is located directly opposite the western edge of the centre, and close to the bus station, up the hill is Stockport railway station
Stockport railway station
Stockport railway station is in Greater Manchester, England, 8 miles south-east of Manchester Piccadilly station on the West Coast Main Line from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston. It was opened on 15 February 1843 by the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, following completion of the large...
, which is accessible via the A6
A6 road
The A6 is one of the main historic north south roads in England. It currently runs from Luton in Bedfordshire to Carlisle in Cumbria, although it formerly started at a junction with the A1 at Barnet....
or via a walkway from the bus station to the railway station.
Future development
The area to the north of the centre may be developed over the next few years into another shopping centre, planned to contain more sizeable retail units to try and attract some of the larger stores into Stockport compared to the on average smaller units currently offered in the town centre by the Merseyway, this development is to be called Bridgefield. The initial developer was Australian Company, Lend Lease CorporationLend Lease Corporation
Lend Lease Group is a global property and infrastructure company headquartered in Sydney, Australia...
, who withdrew from the project in August 2008, throwing into doubt the whole of the town centre masterplan. But the council are still keen for another developer to take on the redevelopment scheme. If constructed and when completed it is expected that this development will directly compete with the Merseyway for similar tenants. It has the backing of the council as it is the largest part of the town centre masterplan; 'Future Stockport'.
In 2004 the local council announced that they were drawing up plans to redevelop the centre in conjunction with the owner Stockport Holdings Ltd
In April 2007 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The council is currently in no overall control since the 2011 local elections when the Liberal Democrats lost their majority. The Liberal Democrats now have 31...
announced plans for a £2.25million refurbishment of the centre's car park, involving a major cosmetic improvement and a possible increase in the number of spaces.
In August 2008, Lend Lease Corporation
Lend Lease Corporation
Lend Lease Group is a global property and infrastructure company headquartered in Sydney, Australia...
announced their intention to withdraw from the Bridgefield Redevelopment project due to global economic conditions and a drop in profits for 2007, Lend Lease had originally been selected as preferred developer by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The council is currently in no overall control since the 2011 local elections when the Liberal Democrats lost their majority. The Liberal Democrats now have 31...
in 2006 and had spent considerable amounts developing plans. This decision has thrown into doubt the large scale redevelopment of this area, and could mean the Merseyway will continue to be the prime retail site in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
for considerable time, but may be redeveloped to provide more retail space.