The Bridges

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with The Bridge Shopping Centre (Portsmouth).
The Bridges Shopping Centre
Entrance to The Bridges Shopping Centre in Sunderland.jpg
The Bridges Shopping Centre pictured in 2016
LocationCity of Sunderland, England
Coordinates54°54′19″N 1°23′04″W / 54.905390°N 1.384500°W / 54.905390; -1.384500
AddressSunderland, SR1 3DR
Opening date1988
ManagementKaren Eve
OwnerHeron (1988-1993)

Land Securities (1993-2014)

AEW Europe (2014-Present)
No. of stores and services79
No. of anchor tenants2 (Primark & TK Maxx)
Total retail floor area598,560 sq ft
Parking900 parking spaces
Websitehttp://www.thebridges-shopping.com/

The Bridges Shopping Centre, commonly known as ‘The Bridges’ is a shopping centre located in Sunderland, England. The centre was opened by Princess Royal, Anne in 1988.[1]

The Bridges in 2020, with most of the stores closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Shops[]

The centre compromises 79 stores, including 2 anchor tenants, Primark and TK Maxx.[2] There are also 9 food outlets on site, ranging from coffee shops to cafes, including a Greggs Cafe & Esquires Coffee branch.

As a result of Debenhams entering administration, their anchor outlet at the centre closed in May 2021, which reduced the total number of anchors from 3 to 2.[3]

In December 2021, the supermarket chain Tesco confirmed they would be closing the Tesco Express store located within the centre in Summer 2022.[4]

Car Parking[]

The shopping centre offers over 900 parking spaces in 2 car parks, a multi-story car park and a roof top car park.

Both car parks operate with an hourly charge the majority of the time, with the following exceptions: Sundays & Bank Holidays have a single charge for parking during the day (8AM-6PM), and free parking is available Thursday Evenings between 5:30PM & 9:00PM.

The car park was open 24 hours a day until May 2017.[5]

Ownership[]

Heron International owned the centre, until it was sold to Land Securities in 1993, for a reported £39 million.[6] A further sale took place in 2014, which resulted in clients of AEW Europe acquiring the centre for £153 million.[7] The centre continues to be owned by AEW Europe at present.

Development[]

In 2000, the ‘old central bus station’, adjacent to the centre was demolished and the land was acquired. This land was used to create a significant expansion which almost doubled the size of the centre, and made it fully covered. Previously some areas of the centre were not covered, resulting in the centre having the nickname of ‘Windy City’.[1]

In September 2010, Land Securities announced a £15 million development to build a 3-story (60,000sq ft) Primark store.[8] The store later opened in November 2012.[9]

In May 2020, Next expanded their store by over 4,000sq ft from 10,221sq ft to 14,710sq ft. This was achieved by acquiring an adjoining vacant unit. This allowed them to open a new childrenswear section and expand their existing homewares selection.[10]

Transport Links[]

Bus[]

The nearest bus stops to the centre are Holmside and vine place, both located almost directly adjacent. Bus services run frequently throughout the North East to the centre, including the Coast & Country (8) provided by GoNorthEast (from Stanley, Durham)[11] and the Black Cats (2) operating between Washington & Sunderland (via the centre).[12]

Metro[]

The nearest metro stations to the centre are Park Lane and Sunderland, which is also the town’s main railway station. Both Park Lane and Sunderland are located less than one mile away. Onward journeys by foot take around 5–10 minutes.[13]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Terry |, Paper (2013-05-08). "Bridges Shopping Centre Sunderland | Old Market Square - Windy City". Wearside Online. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  2. ^ "The 79 stores which will be open at The Bridges in Sunderland from April 12". www.sunderlandecho.com. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  3. ^ "Here's when Debenhams store in Sunderland's Bridges will close for the last time". www.sunderlandecho.com. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  4. ^ "Supermarket Tesco confirms closure of Bridges Shopping Centre store in Sunderland". www.sunderlandecho.com. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  5. ^ NE33 2NE, Annie's Guest House South Shields (2017-06-01). "The Bridges Sunderland Car Parking Charges". Annie's Guest House Blog. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  6. ^ Willcock, John (1993-06-25). "Heron sells shopping centre to Land Securities for pounds 39m". The Independent. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  7. ^ Chronicle, Evening (2014-06-25). "Sunderland shopping centre The Bridges sold for £152m". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  8. ^ "Shopping centre set for £15m expansion - Local - Sunderland Echo". Sunderland Echo. 2010-09-26. Archived from the original on 2010-09-26. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  9. ^ "Primark's New Store at the Bridges, Sunderland Now Open! – NJSR news". Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  10. ^ "Next completes expansion at the Bridges shopping centre in Sunderland". Business News North East. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  11. ^ "8 - Stanley - Beamish - Grange Villa - Pelton - Chester-le-Street - Rickleton - Harraton - Washington - Waterview Park - Castletown (8) - Royal Hospital (8A) - Sunderland". www.gonortheast.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  12. ^ "2 - Silksworth - Hollycarrside - Grangetown - Sunderland - Royal Hospital - Grindon - Hastings Hill - Penshaw - Fatfield - Harraton (2) - Lambton (2) - Biddick (2A) - Washington". www.gonortheast.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  13. ^ "Bridges Shopping Centre | nexus.org.uk". www.nexus.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-01.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""