EXCLUSIVE: Grand plans announced for long-awaited shopping centre link

John Dickens • Published 29 Jan 2012 09:30 1 Comment

AFTER years of unsuccessful talks, Slough's two shopping centres will finally become one with a flagship store providing a walk through for shoppers.

The Queensmere and Observatory shopping centres will finally be joined together with a new 30,000 sq ft TK Maxx shop providing the link.

Work is already under way on the major structural changes, which will involve three existing Queensmere shop units being knocked through to make way for the expanded store.

Simon Edwards, asset manager at Criterion Capital, advisers to the owner, said: "This has been an essential part of the development strategy of the centres since purchase in 2007, to provide the covered link between the centres and allow customers to walk throughout a combined centre.

"We see this as a positive benefit to our retailers, both large and small, as well as for the Slough shopper."

The units involved in the restructuring have already been vacated with Kaza Shoes and Babuni, which formerly occupied two of the three units, moving into different shops just a few doors down.

The other unit was kept empty, for the restructuring, when hairdressing shop Toni and Guy's lease ran out last year.

The walk-through store between the centres, which house almost half of Slough's shops, is due to be finished in late Spring.

In 2009, multi-millionaire owner Asif Aziz, who bought the centres for £200m in January 2007, unveiled plans for a walk-way between the two centres. However the multi-million pound plan did not materialise.

But the new 10-year partnership with discount brand store TK Maxx has helped make the long-awaited link a reality.

Mr Edwards added: "To secure TK Maxx as an anchor for a further 10 years is also a great achievement and we are proud to have them working with us to deliver this project."

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• 

  JUDGE1066
  35 posts
  Jan 29, 10:57
  Report comment

  Grand plans announced for long-awaited shopping centre link.......................Ahh, now we have one shopping centre, gotta be better than having two empty ones :-)
  
  Recommend?   Yes 8     No 0

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