The Glades (Bromley)

This article is about the London shopping centre. For other uses, see The Glades (disambiguation).
intu The Glades
Location Bromley, London, England, UK
Opening date 22 October 1991
Management Intu Properties / Europa services
No. of stores and services 135
No. of anchor tenants 3
Total retail floor area 464,000 sq
No. of floors 2 shopping, 2/4 car parking, 1 service
Parking 1,420 spaces
Website www.intu.co.uk/bromley

Intu Bromley, formerly known as The Glades, is a shopping centre in Bromley, south-east London, England. It has a total of 135 stores trading from a combined floorspace of 464,000 sq ft (43,100 m2). Opened as The Glades on Tuesday 22 October 1991, the centre is jointly owned by Intu Properties (63.5%), CGNU (an Aviva company) (21.5%), and the London Borough of Bromley (15%). The name "The Glades" was chosen following a competition where Bromley residents were asked for suggestions. The name "The Glades" was chosen reflecting the history of Bromley as a wooded area.

The centre was rebranded as Intu Bromley in the summer of 2013 following the renaming of parent Capital Shopping Centres Group plc as Intu Properties plc.[1]

The renaming of the centre has been accompanied by a logo of robin; nonetheless some local critics have stressed the fact it no longer provides any indicator of the formerly strongly rural nature of most of Bromley.

Stores

Major stores within the centre include Marks & Spencer (also opening onto Bromley High Street), Debenhams, Boots, Waterstones, Zara, H&M, French Connection, Game, Disney Store, New Look, Superdrug and Apple Store . In all, there are 135 stores within the intu Bromley building.

Intu Bromley also includes Regent Arcade, a parade of small boutique shops which runs from Elmfield Road near the street entrance to Debenhams and links in to the lower mall beneath Waterstones.

History

When the Glades opened there were 4 department stores:

Boots (opened Monday 28 October 1991 on the current site of Next)
Debenhams (opened Thursday 24 October 1991 on the current site of Dreams, Wilkinson and offices above)
Marks and Spencer (extended from the High Street on Tuesday 22 October 1991)
Littlewoods (extended from the High Street on Tuesday 22 October 1991)
Interior of the centre

The Littlewoods and Marks and Spencer stores were originally on the High Street before the Glades was built. Both were originally retail use on the ground and first floors with the upper floors as office, staff and storage areas. When the Glades was built Marks and Spencer added exits behind the existing food hall and current first floor for retail, part of the first floor of a previous extension had been added some years before. The 1st floor of the original building had been used for many years. Littlewoods extended the first floor to their existing High Street floor to the mezzanine of unit 225 (currently Republic) giving the store access to both the Glades and the High Street; however, unlike M&S where you can walk straight through from the lower mall to the high street, in Littlewoods you would have to walk in the Glades side go up an escalator (or lift) in the Glades side walk along the mezzanine/first floor and down the stairs (or lift) in the original store or vice versa. The Littlewoods extension was opened by the store's longest serving worker. Littlewoods used the first floor of their existing High Street store giving them twice as much space with a restaurant and café.

Former logo of The Glades

When Littlewoods closed, the store became another Marks and Spencer, but which closed in the early 2000s. There was hope that another department store would take on the vacant unit; however, instead a new Japanese clothing shop Uniqlo wanted the Glades side so a wall was put up between the extension and the High Street store and Uniqlo opened there,[2] while Primark later took the high Street side. A few years later Uniqlo closed due to low sales and later opened a store in The Mall in Bromley. After Allders closed Primark moved out, Uniqlo was replaced by USC (later Republic) and Topman/Topshop took the High Street side recently adding Miss Selfridge to the store.

Before the shopping centre opened there was both hope and fear that the Glades would bring new retailers from outside Bromley and create empty shops in the high street. In most cases stores moved from the high street to The Glades and their previous locations were relet.

Facilities

Due to the sloping nature of Bromley High Street and intu Bromley, street level at the Boots end of the centre is level to the Upper Mall, whilst street level at the front entrance of the section is at the lower mall level.

Intu Bromley has a gift card that can be used in most of the stores around the centre.

Intu Bromley development site also included provision for the development of a leisure centre called The Pavilion which opened on Saturday 28 September 1991. A new church was built on the site of an old Co-Op store, and modern flats were also built by the owners on intu Bromley's land.

Redevelopments

Food Hall to Ottakars

Floor Plan of the Glades Food Hall

Above the Regent Arcade there was previously a food hall. The food hall had low profile shops called after what they sold. It opened in November 1991 a month after the centre opened. In late 1996 the food hall was closed and extra retail space was created in the upper mall between Gamleys (now Head) and McDonalds where the balcony over looking the food hall was. The lift at that location was also moved slightly and extended to car park 1 and car park 2.

Shops previously in the food hall:

Just Sausages (1994/5 - 1996)
The Bonsai House (1995 - 1996)

Food Court to Shops

Glades Map from Christmas 2001 when the food court was open

The shops including and between Time4Pets and Clintons was previously a food court with 6 outlets, a large seating area and a fountain. The area was sometimes used for the Glades fashion shows. The area above (currently Zara) was previously County Bookshop (reopened on the lower mall where the food court was), a vacant shop (previously Christmas Shop), ModelZone (moved to unit 223 until Athena closed down and it was moved to its current location), Sofa Workshop (closed) and a large balcony over looking the food court seating area. Like the Food Hall the Food Court were all independent retailers until 1995.

Shops previously in the food Court:

Burgers (1992 - 1995)
Burger Box (1995 - 2002)
Potatoes (1992 - 1995)
Jackets (1995 - 2002)
Sandwiches (1992 - 1995)
Café Select (1995 - 2002)
Patisserie (1992 - 1995)
Upper Crust Patisserie (1995 - 2002)
Chinese (1992 - 1993)
Pizza & Pasta (1993 - 1995)
Pizza Hut Express (1995 - 2001)
Trattoria (2001 - 2002)
Traditional (1992 - 1995)
Traditional Favorites (1995 - 2002)

Units 204 - 208 to Lillywhites

Before Lillywhites, The Glades (NOT TO SCALE)

In September 1996 Lillywhites signed a 15-year lease (to end in September 2011) for the long term vacant units 204, 205a, 205b, 206, Fire Exit (moved opposite), 207 and 208. In 2002 the Lillywhites company became Sports World (renamed Sports Direct in 2007). In 2003 Sports World was signed as an anchor tenant in the planned redevelopment of The Mall (Bromley) and opened in 2004 and they attempted to sell the lease of the Glades store. Unlike other stores the Glades Lillywhites store was not renovated or rebranded to Sports Direct as the lease could have sold to another company at any time. After 7 years of trying to sell their lease with no interest from other companies, Lillywhites lease ended in September 2011. The unit re-opened as a Toys "R" Us store in October 2012 with unit 203 however there is no lease meaning the unit is still on the market and if another company wants to rent it they can.

Previous shops in units 204 to 208:

Birthday Co. (Gifts) (1992)
Eisenegger (Menswear)(1993)
Outback Trading (clothes)(1995)
(To be) Original AR (never opened) (1992)
(To be) Baby Boom (never opened)(1992)
Buttons Hi-Fi (1992)
Price Carver (1995-1996)
Santa's Grotto (c1993) (never had a long term tenant)
Stratton Opticians (1992)
Christmas Magic (1994,1995)

Extension at main entrance

Building began in Autumn 2006 on a £25 million extension close to the main entrance of the centre.[3] The development involved the demolition of two buildings on the high street and several existing units within The Glades. The new facility, when opened, included new H&M, Mango and Rituals stores, as well as storage space in the basement for shops.

Toilets from upper mall to car park 2

Before the extension to the main entrance the toilets opposite McDonalds were moved to car park 2 in the middle of the centre, with a small shop occupied by a dry cleaners, which closed down after a few months. There are however concerns that McDonalds don't have public toilets in or near them. McDonalds originally had toilets on the premises but converted them into a fast lane because there were toilets outside making the toilets non essential. In 2013 INTU Bromley applied for planning permission to convert part of unit 202 (where they previously were) back to toilets. They have now been completed with a great response from shoppers.

River Island (unit 85/86) mezzanine extension

In 2009 the mezzanine floor which was only staff and stock rooms above unit 86 was extended into empty space above unit 85. The menswear was moved to the mezzanine. The staff room was moved to the ground floor.[4]

Regent Arcade, Mezzanine (Waterstones) to restaurants and Cinema on car park level 2

There are currently plans to remove the Regents Arcade and Waterstones to make way for new units and the building of a small cinema on Car Park Level 2. [5]

References

  1. ↑ "The connected consumer – the future of shopping centres" (PDF) (Press release). Capital Shopping Centres Group. 17 January 2013. p. 11. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  2. ↑ Ashworth, Anne (26 July 2006) Chain Reaction: Uniqlo – Chain Reaction, The Times,
  3. ↑ http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/search/display.var.599387.0.councillors_support_proposals_for_centre.php Councillors support proposals for centre – News Shopper Online Edition – 24 May 2005
  4. ↑ http://planning.bromley.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=KE8KZWBT09C00 Planning application and floor plans for River Island Bromley - Bromley Council planning application website
  5. ↑ https://searchapplications.bromley.gov.uk/onlineapplications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=N1HM6JBTJX000

External links

Coordinates: 51°24′15″N 0°01′00″E / 51.4042°N 0.0168°E / 51.4042; 0.0168

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