The Broadway opens its doors in Bradford

Located in the heart of the city centre, The Broadway is owned by Meyer Bergman alongside investment partners Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan and Alberta Investment Management Company. Westfield has been responsible for construction and leasing of the centre and will be appointed as property manager on opening. The centre is predicted by CACI to increase catchment spend potential by 78%, whilst boosting footfall across the city by 40% (source: iCube). It is expected that The Broadway will propel Bradford from 85th to 26th in the CACI UK retail rankings and make Bradford the third largest retail destination in Yorkshire.

At 570,000 sq ft gross lettable area, The Broadway includes over 70 shops, restaurants, food court and 1,300 parking spaces. Outline consent has also been granted for a six-screen 700 seat cinema and 11,500 sq ft of restaurant space adjoining the completed centre, totaling a further 35,000 sq ft, with a cinema operator soon to be announced.

Importantly, construction phase has delivered around 1,500 jobs and the operating centre has created around 2,500 retail and associated permanent employment positions.

Westfield and Meyer Bergman expect the �260m centre will transform the retail experience in Bradford, attracting in many new first to Bradford retailers and dining outlets.

These include Debenhams, the first department store to operate in Bradford in over twenty years, H&M, which had previously been voted the shop Bradford residents most wanted in their city, and many leading names such as Superdry, Accessorize, Paperchase and many more.

It will also enable existing Bradford retailers to expand into more modern, upsized premises with Marks & Spencer, Next and Topshop/Topman opening alongside many other high street names at the centre. Together with the retail boost, The Broadway will include a food court and a range of nationally recognised restaurants � including Patisserie Valerie, Taco Bell and Zizzi.

George Walsh-Waring, Principal at Meyer Bergman, said: �Dynamic and fast-growing Bradford has been crying out for a better retail, leisure and dining offering in its city centre for years. The Broadway is our answer, providing the people of Bradford with the amenities that they have long deserved and by making a lasting contribution to the regeneration of the centre of their city. It shows what great momentum The Broadway has that, even before the doors open, we are already working to bring a fantastic cinema and more restaurants to the centre.�

Duncan Bower, Director of Development at Westfield said: �After many years of hard but enjoyable work, we are delighted to be unveiling The Broadway to shoppers in Bradford. The Broadway will not only bring a vibrant new retail centre to Bradford, but it will also deliver a significant boost to the local and regional economy whilst continuing to attract additional inward investment for the city�s regeneration.�

Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), added: �Bradford city centre is a strategically important investment site in Leeds City Region, offering the potential to create significant new job opportunities for local people. The launch of The Broadway is further demonstration of our investor-readiness and, with its broad spectrum of occupiers, shows the appetite among internationally renowned businesses to operate in the City Region.�