Southside (shopping centre)
Encyclopedia
Southside Wandsworth is a shopping centre
in Wandsworth
, London
, England
. When it was built it was the largest indoor shopping centre in Europe.
and extensive car parking on the roof, and the River Wandle
running in a tunnel underneath. It initially included a mix of shops, offices and restaurants, as well as a large hall for market traders, although the latter has since been redeveloped. At one point it also housed a large nightclub, which has also been redeveloped. The centre suffered a notable decline in the 1980s and 1990s, before being extensively redeveloped and relaunched with a significantly more upmarket mix of shops.
The shopping centre is anchored
by a Waitrose
supermarket (and, arguably, by a large adjacent branch of Sainsbury's
- although this is not technically part of the centre). Clothing retailers include Primark
, Uniqlo
, Burtons, Next, River Island
, H&M
, JD Sports
, Gap
and (opening in summer 2010) Republic. Other retailers include Game
, HMV
, Boots
, Argos
, Mothercare
, Oliver Bonas, The Body Shop
, Tiger, Punkyfish, Barratts
and Waterstone's. An escalator leads to a higher floor containing restaurants, in particular fast food
, and a 14-screen Cineworld
cinema. There is also a Virgin Active
gym.
A further 30 or so smaller units in the North Mall and Arndale Walk sections of the complex are currently being redeveloped to provide large anchor stores for TK Maxx
and New Look (both scheduled to open in summer 2010).
With 530000 square feet (49,238.6 m²) of retail space, Southside remains one of London's largest shopping centres in terms of its ground floor square footage, and currently attracts over 7 million visitors a year.
and on the roof. This helped it to become, according to some commentators, "one of London’s great architectural disasters".
Although initially successful (helped by being located at the junction of several major roads including the A3), but steadily drifted downmarket in the decades after its construction, which led to the departure of its original anchor tenants such as Sainsbury's
(who later returned to the area, but in an adjacent building) and Tesco
. This, coupled with increasing competition from nearby centres such as Clapham Junction, Wimbledon
and Putney
, led to a severe decline in the fortunes of the centre - at one stage it was said that the centre had seen the influx of so many downmarket shops that "it's become hard to buy anything at the centre for over £1".
However Wandsworth was by the 1990s seeing extensive gentrification
, and it was clear that the centre was in a particularly strategic location, with a large and prosperous ABC1 population
on the centre's doorstep - many of whom were choosing to shop further away. To be successful a complete relaunch would be needed.
Work therefore began to extensively refurbish and extend the complex in 2000. This included the complete demolition and reconstruction of the southern end of the structure, to add a new multistorey car park, a 14 screen Cineworld
cinema, and a Food court
. A large Waitrose
supermarket was also built, to anchor
the relaunched centre. Skylights were introduced in the main malls to make better use of natural light (a common, but now outdated' feature of Arndale centres had been that the walkways were deliberately kept dark, so that the lights from the shops would shine out).
This redevelopment was accompanied by construction of a 20-storey residential development at the southern end of the complex, and refurbishment of the existing housing estates on the roof of the main shopping area. The centre was temporarily renamed the Wandsworth Shopping Centre, before finally being branded
as Southside in 2004.
In February 2010, work started to redevelop the northern end of the centre, to extend the centre to 700000 square feet (65,032.1 m²), creating larger retail units and an enhanced street frontage, and linking with a major retail and residential development that is scheduled to take place on an adjacent site following the departure of the Ram Brewery
from Wandsworth town centre. To prepare for this development, most of the existing shops in Arndale Walk and the northern section of the centre were closed in January 2008. The development involves the amalgamation of many smaller units in the North Mall and Arndale Walk sections of the complex to provide two far larger anchor stores (covering 20,000 and 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²), which have been let to TK Maxx
and New Look respectively), as well as reconfiguration of the internal layout of the centre, changes to the external facade facing Wandsworth high street to introduce glazing, and the closure of the current branch of the Iceland
supermarket.
Another, separate part of the redevelopment includes demolition and replacement of the centre's rather dilapidated eastern frontage along Garratt Lane to create 20000 feet (6,096 m) of new shopfronts, with office and residential accommodation above, partly aimed at strengthening the link between the centre and the adjacent Sainsbury's supermarket. Demolition and site preparation is now complete, however the new construction appears to be on hold, with no building work having been undertaken since early 2009.
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...
in Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 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...
. When it was built it was the largest indoor shopping centre in Europe.
Overview
Southside opened in 1971 as the Wandsworth Arndale Centre, and was the largest of the UK-wide chain of Arndale Centres. It occupies much of the centre of Wandsworth, with several blocks of flatsTower block
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, office tower, apartment block, or block of flats, is a tall building or structure used as a residential and/or office building...
and extensive car parking on the roof, and the River Wandle
River Wandle
The River Wandle is a river in south-east England. The names of the river and of Wandsworth are thought to have derived from the Old English "Wendlesworth" meaning "Wendle's Settlement". The river runs through southwest London and is about long...
running in a tunnel underneath. It initially included a mix of shops, offices and restaurants, as well as a large hall for market traders, although the latter has since been redeveloped. At one point it also housed a large nightclub, which has also been redeveloped. The centre suffered a notable decline in the 1980s and 1990s, before being extensively redeveloped and relaunched with a significantly more upmarket mix of shops.
The shopping centre is anchored
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
by a Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
supermarket (and, arguably, by a large adjacent branch of Sainsbury's
J Sainsbury
J. Sainsbury plc is the parent company of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd, commonly known as Sainsbury's, the third largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom with a share of the UK supermarket sector of 16.5%....
- although this is not technically part of the centre). Clothing retailers include Primark
Primark
Primark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...
, Uniqlo
UNIQLO
is a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer and retailer.The company was originally a division of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.. On November 1, 2005, it was restructured as a separate wholly owned subsidiary called Uniqlo Co., Ltd. , which is listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock...
, Burtons, Next, 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:...
, H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
, JD Sports
JD Sports
JD Sports Fashion plc, more commonly known as just JD, is a sports-fashion retail company based in Bury, Greater Manchester, England with shops throughout the United Kingdom and with one in Ireland...
, Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
and (opening in summer 2010) Republic. Other retailers include Game
GAME (retailer)
The Game Group plc is a British video games retail company. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index....
, HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
, Boots
Alliance Boots
Alliance Boots GmbH is a leading international, pharmacy-led health and beauty group. It has two core business activities - pharmacy-led health and beauty retailing, and pharmaceutical wholesaling and distribution - and has a presence in more than 25 countries...
, Argos
Argos (retailer)
Argos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland with over 800 stores. It is unique amongst major retailers in the UK in that it is a catalogue merchant...
, Mothercare
Mothercare
Mothercare plc is a British retailer which specialises in products for expectant mothers and in general merchandise for children up to 8 years old. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, Oliver Bonas, The Body Shop
The Body Shop
The Body Shop International plc, known as The Body Shop, has 2,400 stores in 61 countries, and is the second largest cosmetic franchise in the world, following O Boticario, a Brazilian company...
, Tiger, Punkyfish, Barratts
Barratts
Barratts Priceless Ltd incorporates two long established high street brands in Barratts Shoes and Priceless Shoes in 2010. The Barratts shoes brand trades from 100 UK and Éire Stores and is committed to providing affordable fashion footwear...
and Waterstone's. An escalator leads to a higher floor containing restaurants, in particular fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
, and a 14-screen Cineworld
Cineworld
Cineworld Group plc is a cinema chain operating in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Jersey. The chain consists of 78 cinemas; 76 of which are located in the UK and one each in Ireland and Jersey. It is the second-largest cinema operator in the UK with 801 screens, and the owner of...
cinema. There is also a Virgin Active
Virgin Active
Virgin Active is a chain of health clubs in South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company launched in 1998 in Preston, Lancashire as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group....
gym.
A further 30 or so smaller units in the North Mall and Arndale Walk sections of the complex are currently being redeveloped to provide large anchor stores for TK Maxx
T.K. Maxx
T.K. Maxx is a retailer with stores throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Poland. The company is part of the TJX Companies which also owns other 'off-price' retail chains such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in the United States and Winners in Canada...
and New Look (both scheduled to open in summer 2010).
With 530000 square feet (49,238.6 m²) of retail space, Southside remains one of London's largest shopping centres in terms of its ground floor square footage, and currently attracts over 7 million visitors a year.
History
The site now occupied by the shopping centre was previously the Wandsworth Greyhound Stadium (which seated 20,000) and the Upper Mill (a large flour mill, damaged by fire in the 1920s and demolished in 1964). The Arndale complex was designed to be relatively self contained, with few connections to the surrounding shopping streets other than service and delivery entrances, and value of the complex was maximised by the construction of five high-rise blocks above the main shopping area, and by building over a thousand parking spaces in multistorey car parksMulti-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
and on the roof. This helped it to become, according to some commentators, "one of London’s great architectural disasters".
Although initially successful (helped by being located at the junction of several major roads including the A3), but steadily drifted downmarket in the decades after its construction, which led to the departure of its original anchor tenants such as Sainsbury's
J Sainsbury
J. Sainsbury plc is the parent company of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd, commonly known as Sainsbury's, the third largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom with a share of the UK supermarket sector of 16.5%....
(who later returned to the area, but in an adjacent building) and 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...
. This, coupled with increasing competition from nearby centres such as Clapham Junction, Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
and Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, led to a severe decline in the fortunes of the centre - at one stage it was said that the centre had seen the influx of so many downmarket shops that "it's become hard to buy anything at the centre for over £1".
However Wandsworth was by the 1990s seeing extensive gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
, and it was clear that the centre was in a particularly strategic location, with a large and prosperous ABC1 population
NRS social grade
The NRS social grades are a system of demographic classification used in the United Kingdom. They were originally developed by the National Readership Survey in order to classify readers, but are now used by many other organisations for wider applications and have become a standard for market...
on the centre's doorstep - many of whom were choosing to shop further away. To be successful a complete relaunch would be needed.
Work therefore began to extensively refurbish and extend the complex in 2000. This included the complete demolition and reconstruction of the southern end of the structure, to add a new multistorey car park, a 14 screen Cineworld
Cineworld
Cineworld Group plc is a cinema chain operating in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Jersey. The chain consists of 78 cinemas; 76 of which are located in the UK and one each in Ireland and Jersey. It is the second-largest cinema operator in the UK with 801 screens, and the owner of...
cinema, and a Food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
. A large Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
supermarket was also built, to anchor
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
the relaunched centre. Skylights were introduced in the main malls to make better use of natural light (a common, but now outdated' feature of Arndale centres had been that the walkways were deliberately kept dark, so that the lights from the shops would shine out).
This redevelopment was accompanied by construction of a 20-storey residential development at the southern end of the complex, and refurbishment of the existing housing estates on the roof of the main shopping area. The centre was temporarily renamed the Wandsworth Shopping Centre, before finally being branded
Rebranding
Rebranding is the creation of a new name, term, symbol, design, or a combination of them for an established brand with the intention of developing a differentiated position in the mind of stakeholders and competitors....
as Southside in 2004.
Redevelopment
Southside is now owned by Metro Shopping Fund (a partnership between Land Securities and Delancey, which owns several other London shopping centres, including the nearby ShopStop at Clapham Junction). The centre continues to be progressively redeveloped.In February 2010, work started to redevelop the northern end of the centre, to extend the centre to 700000 square feet (65,032.1 m²), creating larger retail units and an enhanced street frontage, and linking with a major retail and residential development that is scheduled to take place on an adjacent site following the departure of the Ram Brewery
Young's Brewery
Young's is a British pub chain operating nearly 220 pubs.The company was founded as a brewery in 1831 by Charles Young and Anthony Bainbridge when they purchased the Ram Brewery in Wandsworth...
from Wandsworth town centre. To prepare for this development, most of the existing shops in Arndale Walk and the northern section of the centre were closed in January 2008. The development involves the amalgamation of many smaller units in the North Mall and Arndale Walk sections of the complex to provide two far larger anchor stores (covering 20,000 and 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²), which have been let to TK Maxx
T.K. Maxx
T.K. Maxx is a retailer with stores throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Poland. The company is part of the TJX Companies which also owns other 'off-price' retail chains such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in the United States and Winners in Canada...
and New Look respectively), as well as reconfiguration of the internal layout of the centre, changes to the external facade facing Wandsworth high street to introduce glazing, and the closure of the current branch of the Iceland
Iceland (supermarket)
Iceland is a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Iceland's primary product lines include frozen foods, such as frozen prepared meals and frozen vegetables - hence the name of the company...
supermarket.
Another, separate part of the redevelopment includes demolition and replacement of the centre's rather dilapidated eastern frontage along Garratt Lane to create 20000 feet (6,096 m) of new shopfronts, with office and residential accommodation above, partly aimed at strengthening the link between the centre and the adjacent Sainsbury's supermarket. Demolition and site preparation is now complete, however the new construction appears to be on hold, with no building work having been undertaken since early 2009.