Grand Central at 80% as restaurants and White Company lead the way

Thursday 24 Oct 2013

Grand Central at 80% as restaurants and White Company lead the way

Region & Route:

As the shape of Grand Central starts to make its mark on the Birmingham city skyline, restaurants and cafes are also lining up to make their debut in the city, alongside the first confirmed shops - The White Company, L’Occitane and Kiehls.

The news that 80% of floor space in the shopping centre is already signed, or under offer, is accompanied by the announcement that Grand Central, situated directly above the stunning rejuvenated New Street station, will open in 2015.

Leasing Director for Grand Central Keith Stone said: “‘We’re delighted to be bringing so many exciting new restaurants and cafes to Birmingham, along with the first stand alone store in the city for The White Company, which will enable them to showcase a more comprehensive product range to West Midlands customers than has previously been possible. The White Company are also soon to be joined by many other retailers new to Birmingham.”

Of the first nine restaurants and cafes to exchange, six are new to the city, with most currently only found in London and the South-east, and keen to showcase their taste and style of dining in Birmingham.

Vietnamese street style restaurant Pho will be opening with a great location overlooking the hustle and bustle of the station concourse below: the perfect setting for their healthy and authentically prepared Vietnamese dishes.

They will be joined under the stunning glass atrium by Spanish restaurant Tapas Revolution, where 28 year old chef and winner of Acorn’s ‘Young Star of the Future’ award 2012 Omar Allibhoy aims to share the everyday, authentic eating habits of his life in Madrid with you.

The luxurious Italian restaurant Caffe Concerto will also offer customers not only a vibrant and delicious dining experience, but also some of the best seats from which to relax and watch the world go by, with tables looking down onto the concourse and also right across the stunning open vista created by the atrium.

Shoppers seeking a more varied cuisine when Grand Central opens its doors will be able to sample the delicious fayre of Mexican restaurant Tortilla, home of tacos and burritos which can be eaten in or taken away.

Speaking about opening their first restaurant outside London and the South East, Pho MD, Stephen Wall says: “Since opening London’s first Vietnamese street food restaurant in Clerkenwell in 2005, we have expanded with a further 6 restaurants in London, and one in Brighton. In moving out of the South East, Grand Central Birmingham was the ideal location for us – a visionary design and great central location, plus the vibrancy of the view over the busiest railway concourse outside London makes a great setting. We’re very excited to be part of the Grand Central story.”

Also new to the city are Crepe Affaire, who will be joined in the Grand Central restaurant line-up by Yo! Sushi, Carluccios, Fuel juice bar and Giraffe.

It is expected that the exact opening date for Grand Central will be confirmed in early 2014 once the project’s key engineering milestones have been achieved.

Chris Montgomery, Network Rail project director said: “The redevelopment of New Street station and Grand Central will provide a world class transport and retail hub for the people of the West Midlands and beyond and when Grand Central opens, many customers will be coming into the city for the first time in many years.

“We want to deliver an experience that surpasses all their expectations. Having reviewed how the centre and the station will work alongside each other, we’re confident that a more aligned opening in 2015 will allow customers to experience the full impact of the stunning open atrium design from day one .”

Notes to editors

For more information please contact:

Mel Evans, Marketing Manager, Grand Central: 07711 600929

Mel.evans2@networkrail.co.uk

Lauren Broadfield, Communications Manager, Birmingham New Street:

07740 782 954

Lauren.broadfield@networkrail.co.uk

EDITOR’S NOTES

This week, the first exhibition since the switchover will take place on the concourse at New Street. Network Rail have worked with Birmingham City Council to invite Birmingham based musicians, actors, dancers and artists to perform alongside our information stand to showcase the city's talent and culture and that the station and shopping centre will be a world class destination in the heart of the city to find out about what’s going on in Birmingham.

The exhibition will run from 7am-7pm Thurs 24th and Fri 25th and Mon 28th – Weds 30th October and Saturday 26th 8am-7pm, and Sunday 27th October 9:30am-7pm.

The decision to open in 2015 has been reached by the Grand Central project partners, Birmingham City Council and Network Rail. Since the opening of the first part of the new station concourse in April 2013, it has been possible to develop a much clearer picture about how the construction programme will progress over the next 12 - 18 months including a number of key engineering milestones to be achieved in the early part of next year for the surrounding New Street station redevelopment which interfaces with Grand Central.

Whilst there was a possibility that Grand Central may have opened for Christmas 2014, further clarity on the construction programme has informed the decision to open both the new shopping destination and the station in 2015. Opening the shopping centre more closely with the completed station concourse will provide a better customer experience for the whole development than if Grand Central had opened earlier.

Opening 2015 to synchronise more closely with completion of the station concourse, Grand Central Birmingham will bring a full line John Lewis, over 40 new premium and high quality shops and nearly 20 restaurants and cafes to the city. Grand Central will be integrated with the world class New Street Station at the heart of the City’s retail offer.

Grand Central Birmingham will be the new shopping destination in Birmingham, bringing exciting shops and brands into the city, together under one stunning glass roof.
Most of the shops, restaurants and cafes will be new to the city, and Grand Central Birmingham will also be home to the largest John Lewis department store outside London.
Grand Central will also bring over 40 new premium shops into the city, and nearly 20 new cafes and restaurants.
The new shopping destination will also create up to 1,000 new jobs in the heart of the city centre, along with many training opportunities to help local people to become a part of this new part of the city.
Positioned directly above the new station Concourse, the walkways and restaurants of Grand Central Birmingham will be flooded with natural light from the huge glass atrium which sits high above.
Shoppers and visitors will be able to take a break and relax at one of the many cafes and restaurants which overlook the bustling station Concourse below, watching the world go by as they enjoy free Wi-Fi and a great choice of different menus from around the world.
Shops will be encouraged to bring their most exciting and innovative window displays and designs into Grand Central, using the city’s new shopping destination to showcase their goods.
From the outside, visitors to Grand Central will be inspired by the stunning mirror-polished stainless steel façade which envelops the entire station and shopping centre, creating a new landmark building for the city.
The unique location of Grand Central Birmingham, directly above New Street Station, means that people from across the Midlands and beyond can choose to avoid the traffic, leaving their cars at home and travelling in by the convenience of train.
Alternatively, those who wish to drive will be able to park in the new Grand Central car park with direct access into the shops – or in one of the other 11,000 parking spaces within 10 minutes walk of Grand Central.
Shopping in the city will also be so easy when Grand Central opens: sitting between Bullring and Mailbox, and only a couple of minutes walk from House of Fraser, the independent shops and the rest of the city shopping area, it completes the walking circuit.
Grand Central forms part of the overall regeneration of New Street station, due for completion in 2015.
The project is backed by Birmingham City Council, Department for Transport, Network Rail and Centro and will be delivered by Network Rail alongside its delivery partner Mace.

It’s a £600 million project for the regeneration of the station, with a further £150 million investment in the transformation of the Pallasades into Grand Central Birmingham.

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