The current owner Hermes had planned to spend £70 million investing in a complete overhaul of the shopping centre which would have included building a cinema plus many new shops and restaurants. This had originally been planned to start earlier this year but was postponed until 2018 due to planning issues over proposed changes to the entrance.
Instead there may now be no extension or just a further postponement as the UK developer British Land is reportedly close to completing the purchase of Royal Victoria Place.
British Land, the prospective purchasers of Royal Victoria Place are one of the UK's biggest property developers with an extensive portfolio of properties worth at least £13 billion, which includes the famous "Cheesegrater" building in the City of London. If the centre is sold to by Hermes to British Land, then the new owners will have the opportunity to invest further in their new property and still go ahead with the proposed extension to the shopping centre and add at least 10 new shops or restaurants.
Questions have been raised about whether the fact that there are a large number of shops empty in the shopping centre is related to the proposed extension. The fact that Hermes may have sold Royal Victoria Place is not supposed to be related to any difficulties involving the company but is said to be part of their long term overall investment strategy.
News in the same category
With UK shoppers becoming ever more eco-conscious, it's not surprising that zero waste stores are gaining popularity.
A new shopping district is inderway in the Mickleover district of Derby. This previously somewhat dingy and overlooked part of the city will be given a new lease of life as the site of a former petrol station will be transformed into a shopping paradise.
Smaller Footprints is a new shop in Clifton in Bristol with a zero waste ethos at its heart. Located in Regent Street, the new shop offers a varied range of food and non-food items packaging free.
The retail sector in the UK suffered another blow with the announcement of the closure of the well-known toy supplier Toys R Us. With the loss of 3,200 jobs across the country. The economy will no doubt be felt keenly this year.
