Croydon’s Centrale and Whitgift centres have signed seven new retailers and renewed 11 leases from existing brands in a move that will bolster the south London borough’s retail scene after years of uncertainty.
New brands joining its centres include clothing stores Dressmode, Maflora and Rebel Clothing, homewares brand Stacks and Pinball Republic, a pinball club partnering with the local council, landlord Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) said.
Over 200,000 sq ft of renewals have also been secured across both centres, including key brands House of Fraser, Sports Direct, Claire’s, Holland & Barrett, and Waterstones.
Croydon has faced many blows over the past decade. Back in 2013 Westfield and Hammerson entered a joint venture for the £1.4bn redevelopment of the the Whitgift Centre and Centrale shopping centre.
The project was aimed at transforming the site into a major shopping and leisure destination, but faced severe delays, changes in plans exacerbated by the pandemic, and financial hurdles.
Last year URW acquired the remaining 50% stake of the Croydon shopping centre redevelopment from Hammerson, putting an end to the failed deal.
URW leasing director UK Kate Orwin said: “We have such a wide variety of retailers and occupiers at the Centrale and Whitgift centres from major global brands to local, independents, and today’s news is testament to ongoing confidence in Croydon as a retail destination.”
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