intu has announced plans for a multi-million-pound investment to transform the external facade intu Merry Hill, the Midlands largest shopping centre, as part of its latest phase in cementing the centre’s position as one of the very best shopping destinations in the UK.
intu Merry Hill, which attracts around 18 million visitors a year, will benefit from an investment of over £10 million to transform the external entrance. The plans include the installation of a large format screen above the main entrance, as well as energy-saving LED lights that can change the colour of the centre’s exterior walls.
The investment is the latest phase of a plan to make the shopping destination more sustainable, more accessible and more attractive to customers and retailers. In recent years, the centre has also introduced free, high bandwidth WiFi, redeveloped its car parks and bus stations and made facilities more accessible to those with disabilities.
Planning permission for the project was submitted on 17 December and work is set to begin in February 2019, subject to planning approval.
Nick Round, regional manager director for intu, said: “This £10 million investment at intu Merry Hill reflects our long-term commitment to the centre and the confidence that exists in it as a destination where brands can really flourish. In the last year we’ve welcomed 20 new retailers to the centre, including huge new stores for Next and Primark, making this an even more attractive destination for shoppers. Our plans are to attract even more great brands and create compelling experiences for customers across the West Midlands “
The centre has also expanded its food and drink offering in the past 12 months with PIZZASQR and Little Dessert Shop opening in the mall’s food court. The Garrison Saloon Bar, a Peaky Blinders themed micro-pub named after the BBC series, is the latest bar to open its doors on the centre’s Waterfront.
intu Merry Hill was recently named a top 10 shopping centre by data analytics company GlobalData according to research it carried out taking into account the requirements of both tenants and shoppers. The shopping destination ranked 8 from a list of 50 centres, alongside eight other intu shopping centres in the top 20.