Case Study
Metrocentre, Gateshead
Revitalised retail & leisure, major brand signings, NHS integration, and sustainable initiatives.
October 14, 2024
Following the demise of Intu, Sovereign Centros were in 2020 appointed as the Asset & Development Managers for Metrocentre on behalf of The Metrocentre Partnership to implement a new business plan for the shopping centre and retail park.
Metrocentre is the dominant retail and leisure destination in North East England and one of the UK's 8 super regional shopping centres.
The scheme comprises 2.1m sq ft of retail, food & beverage, leisure and healthcare accommodation, providing 372 units and attracting c16 million visitors per annum.
Several key initiatives have been delivered including the successful re-anchoring of the Centre following the opening of Flannels, Sports Direct and Everlast Gyms in the entirety of the former Debenhams store and H Beauty within the former House of Fraser store. In addition, key retailers like Zara, Primark, H&M and JD have made significant commitments in new flagship stores assisting the signing of high-profile international brands including Sephora, Stradavarius, Reiss and Urban Outfitters.
The centre’s leisure provision has also been strengthened and now includes Odeon IMAX, NAMCO, Treetop Golf, The Escaplogist and Activate.
Over 260 transactions have occurred under Sovereign Centros tenure. In excess of 1,000,000 sq ft of new or refurbished space has been committed to since Q4 2020, highlighting the commitment of major brands to Metrocentre.
Alternative uses, such as state-of-the-art health and wellbeing facilities, have been introduced as part of the ongoing strategy to reposition key areas. The most recent addition is the NHS Community Diagnostics Centre (CDC) in part of the former House of Fraser store. The 40,000 sq ft facility opened in October 2024 and will undertake c.145,000 appointments per annum, providing new purpose and footfall to Metrocentre with further NHS expansion anticipated.
Market leading ESG initiatives have been implemented, including the development of dedicated solar and EV charging infrastructure. The £3.1m investment has reduced the Centre’s grid dependency by c.22% and includes the largest Solar installation at a shopping centre in Europe.
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