The Ridings Centre

The Ridings Shopping Centre is an indoor shopping centre in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It opened on 17 October 1983. The pioneering centre was a UK first and subsequently served as a template for many shopping centres throughout the UK.^[1]

The Ridings Centre

Main entrance on Westgate precinct opposite Wakefield Cathedral
Location	Wakefield, England WF1 1DS
Coordinates	53°40′56″N 1°29′48″W / 53.682149°N 1.496791°W / 53.682149; -1.496791
Opening date	17 October 1983
Owner	NewRiver
No. of stores and services	80
No. of anchor tenants	5
No. of floors	3
Parking	1,070 spaces
Website	www.ridingscentre.com

Stores and services

 

Interior of the Ridings Centre

The Ridings Centre covers an area of 319,000 square feet (29,600 m²) and has an estimated annual footfall of 11 million.^[2] The centre contains a number of retailers such as Boots, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Primark as well as a number of independent stores. The centre has three car parks (each assigned a colour) including three multi-storeys and a rooftop car park.

A five-screen Reel Cinema opened in the centre in 2019.^[3]

History

 

Rear of the centre with Wakefield Cathedral in the background

The Ridings Centre opened on 17 October 1983. It included construction of a large complex to house the upper and middle malls along with the blue and red car parks. In addition to this, an existing open shopping precinct on Kirkgate originally opened in 1972 was roofed and extensively updated to become the lower mall, and the existing Almhouse Lane multi-storey was adapted to become the green car park.^[4] It was the first of its kind in the UK, containing features such as a food court inspired by shopping centres in the United States and its major popularity upon opening meant there were queues even to enter the centre.^[5]

The centre was extensively refurbished in 2008 at a cost of £2.5 million. The improvements included a redesign of the centre's entrances as well as new lifts (replacing the original glass wall-climber lift that was the first in the UK).^[6]

The Ridings Centre was purchased in 2015 by NewRiver.^[7] This was followed by a £5 million renovation in 2017 which included a new food court (since closed) and space for 'pop-up' shops.^[8]

Awards

• The Ridings Centre won the award for 'European Shopping Centre Of The Year' on numerous occasions.^[9]
• In 2018 the centre won the Revo Purple Apple Marketing Awards, obtaining a Golden Apple Award.^[10]

Transport connections

 

Ridings Centre Blue Car Park

The Ridings Centre is located near Wakefield Westgate and Wakefield Kirkgate railway stations as well as Wakefield Bus Station. The centre is located near the A61 and the M1. Arriva Yorkshire have their headquarters and main depot located in Wakefield, on the A61, next to the Hepworth Gallery. Arriva are the owners and managers of Wakefield Bus Station.

References

1. "The Ridings Shopping Centre Celebrates 30 Years". BBC Look North. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
2. "The Ridings Shopping Centre". NewRiver REIT. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
3. "New Family Friendly Reel Cinema Opens In Wakefield City Centre". Yorkshire Business Daily. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
4. "Ridings Shopping Centre The Heart of Shopping in Wakefield" (PDF). truenorthbooks. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
5. "Landmark Shopping Centre Celebrates 30 Years". Yorkshire Post. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
6. Gatehouse, David (17 September 2013). "Ridings Shopping Centre Celebrates 30 Years". bdaily. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
7. "Ridings Shopping Centre Sold to NewRiver". Yorkshire Post. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
8. "Details of £5million Revamp of Wakefield Shopping Centre Revealed". ITV News. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
9. "Wakefield History-Things You Might Not Know". manningstainton.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
10. "The Ridings Centre Win National Award". wakefieldfirst.com. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2020.

 

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