Next becomes first retail tenant to sign up to The Glass Works
Fashion and homewares retailer Next has become the first retail tenant to sign up to The Glass Works retail and leisure development in Barnsley town centre.
The 20,000 square foot store in the glass covered mall will be spread over two floors. Once open, the new bigger store will replace the town centre’s existing shop in the Alhambra shopping centre.
The 3.8-hectare, £130 million The Glass Works is being funded by Barnsley Council and is set to regenerate the heart of Barnsley. With construction well underway on phase one, the second stage of the development will begin in the autumn and will include 26 new retail units, a range of restaurants and a Cineworld and Superbowl UK.
The scheme is on track for completion in 2020.
Councillor Sir Stephen Houghton CBE, leader of Barnsley Council, said: “Next is without doubt one of the UK’s keynote fashion retailers and one that is proven to help attract other retailers to a location. The upgrade to a bigger store will greatly improve the town centre’s shopping offer, thus making us more attractive for inward investment.”
Stuart Harris, commercial director and co-founder of Queensberry, added: “Securing a reputable and highly-successful retailer like Next, alongside leisure tenants like Cineworld and Superbowl UK, really signals the strength and attractiveness of this scheme to major organisations.”
