WORK looks likely to restart soon on the mothballed £650m Trinity Leeds shopping centre after the developers signed up fashion chain Next as a key tenant.
Property group Land Securities, which is developing the site alongside Yorkshire group Caddick Developments, said that Next will open a 51,000 sq ft store in the scheme which will boast 120 shops on a site between Briggate, Commercial Street, Albion Street and Boar Lane.
Work on the 1m sq ft project stalled last April as the credit crunch and subsequent recession hit property developments across the country.
However now it is thought that an announcement could be made soon that work will restart on the site with it due to be completed by October 2012.
Next will move from its current site on Albion Street to what will be its seventh largest store in the UK to join retailers including Boots, Top Shop, H&M, Bhs and the first Everyman Cinema planned in the North of England.
Land Securities' retail leasing director John Grimes said: "We continue to advance towards our pre-letting threshold and are pleased with the level of interest from both UK and international retailers as they realise the unparalleled opportunity Trinity Leeds offers."
Andrew Varley, group property director for Next, said: "We continue to focus on building the Next offer and we are delighted to be able to give our customers a new store in Leeds which will feature the latest lines and concepts in a fantastic trading location."
The scheme is being seen as a key part of Leeds' aim to rise above Manchester into fourth place in the UK league table of shopping destinations.
Author : David Parkin - Editor, Yorkshire
Source : Yorkshire Business Desk
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