MAY JUN 17

N E W S
Chester Northgate development signs
up House of Fraser as flagship store
New four-star Crowne Plaza hotel also confirmed as long-awaited scheme takes significant step forward
Cheshire West and Chester Council has
signed House of Fraser and a 4*
Crowne Plaza to Chester Northgate ?
one of the most significant city-centre
regeneration projects and the biggest
retail-led development in the North
West in the last decade.
House of Fraser has signed an
agreement to anchor the development.
The Group plans to open a new
100,000 sq ft store, offering customers
an exceptional
shopping
environment as
well as
attracting
desirable
brands and
fashion labels
to the region.
The new store is
being designed
to a high
specification
and will
accommodate a
multichannel,
modern
experience-led retail offering, which
will include the creation of a rooftop
restaurant with views over Chester?s
historic racecourse and the Welsh hills.
An affiliate of MCAP Global Finance Ltd.
has also signed an agreement to open
a new 167-bed 4* Crowne Plaza hotel,
with a spa, and a 600-capacity
conference facility, which will be the
biggest in the city.
The regeneration of the city centre will
provide 70 stores, cafes and
restaurants, as well as a new cultural
centre, 70 homes, hotel & conference
centre, six-screen Picturehouse cinema
and the city?s largest car park. On
completion, Chester Northgate will not
only revitalise the city?s evening
economy, it will also offer a full suite of
5.
experiences to locals and Chester?s
millions of yearly visitors, drawing
more visitors and shoppers into
Chester. Construction of the
development will commence in late
2018, with phased completions leading
up to late 2021.
The council has already committed
£100 million into the redevelopment of
the city centre, including the creation
of a new 850-seat theatre, which forms
part of a new cultural centre and is set
to open in the Spring, as well as the
relocation of the bus station.
Councillor Samantha Dixon, Leader of
Cheshire West and Chester Council,
said: ?I am delighted that we have
secured House of Fraser for a major
new store in the crucial Chester
Northgate development and at the
same time, signed a deal with the
owners of the existing Crowne Plaza to
relocate them on site into a brand new
four-star hotel, conference centre and
spa, much improving the overall offer
of the city.
?Being able to attract brands like
House of Fraser, Picturehouse and
Crowne Plaza is a measure of the
appeal of Chester Northgate to other
occupiers and investors and reinforces
our ambition to return Chester to its
rightful place as a leading shopping
and leisure destination.
?We believe Chester Northgate to be
one of the UK?s biggest emerging
retail-led city centre developments. The
project shows that Cheshire West and
Chester Council is pioneering
innovative new ways of driving growth
and underlines our consistent
commitment to steering the big
projects that
will transform
Chester city
centre.?
Frank Slevin,
Executive
Chairman of
House of
Fraser, said:
?We are very
pleased to
announce that
we have signed
an agreement
to open an
anchor store at
Chester
Northgate. Chester is an exciting
location for us, being at the centre of a
thriving regional economy. With its
modern design, Chester Northgate will
rejuvenate Chester city centre
attracting more visitors and creating a
dynamic retail environment.
?The new store clearly cements our
commitment to and vision for the
future growth of House of Fraser. The
growth of our store portfolio and the
further development of House of
Fraser?s multichannel offer provides
solid foundations for the ongoing
transformation of the business,
ultimately driving a great customer
experience. I look forward to the store
opening in 2021.?