Monday 15 Nov 2010
RAIL MEETS RETAIL: 75,000 SQ FT OF NEW STATION SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES ANNOUNCED BY NETWORK RAIL
- Region & Route:
- National
Network Rail today unveiled plans for over 75,000 sq ft of new retail space in stations, along with a new vision for the future of station retailing which focuses on enhancing passenger experience through the creation of destination stations and building strong partnerships with retailers.
As part of the continued investment in stations to increase capacity and improve the environment for passengers, exciting new retail space will be created at Waterloo, Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street and King’s Cross stations.
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Manchester Piccadilly: Opening spring 2011. The existing mezzanine to be used to provide seven new restaurants, totalling nearly 12,000 sq ft.
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London Waterloo: Opening spring 2012. A stunning 220 metre-long balcony is proposed to run along almost the full length of the concourse at first-floor level creating 20,000 sq ft of new retail space. This would allow the currently congested concourse to be cleared, creating significantly more space and improved passenger flow to and from Waterloo East.
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King’s Cross: Opening spring 2012. The creation of a brand new concourse will mean passengers will enjoy over 27,000 sq ft of new shops and restaurants.
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Birmingham New Street: Opening 2014. A striking new station concourse, including 16,000 sq ft of new retail space, will bring passengers a bigger choice of shops and restaurants.
Network Rail’s managed stations benefit from unrivalled footfall in the travel retail sector, and these new spaces will open up huge opportunities for retailers to maximise a prime trading environment, and change the way passengers use their stations.
Gavin McKechnie, head of retail at Network Rail, said: “Our announcement today marks the start of a new era for retail in stations. Through exciting new opportunities, strong partnerships and working proactively with retailers to grow business we will be able offer a great customer experience in stations, and create destination stations where people go to shop, meet and eat.
David Biggs, director of property at Network Rail, said: “Thanks to the growth and success of the railways, these ambitious plans to expand and enhance retail in stations are possible. Britain relies on rail, and retail revenue is a vital funding stream for Network Rail. As we seek to deliver even greater value for the British people, maximising commercial opportunities will enable us to invest even more money straight back into the railways to help us achieve our goals.
Notes to editors
Network Rail:
- Is one of the largest land and property owners in the country and will generate over £1bn in the next five years from commercial activities for re-investment in our rail estate. This would be enough to transform Birmingham New Street or King’s Cross stations, or put in place 5,000km of new railway.
- Already has over 480,000 sq ft retail space at 18 of the largest stations across the country – that’s more retail space than Bluewater – showcasing many leading high-street brands.
- Is also the country's largest provider of commercial property to small and medium sized businesses with over 7000 properties nationwide.
- In addition, works in partnership on existing development projects, including multi-million pound commercial schemes above our stations at London Bridge (Shard) and Cannon Street and our first multi-site joint venture: Solum Regeneration.
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About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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