intu has confirmed its plans for a multi-million-pound investment to transform the external facade of intu Merry Hill as part of its latest phase in further cementing the centre’s position as one of the very best shopping destinations in the UK.

The centre, which attracts around 18 million visitors a year, will benefit from over £10 million of investment to transform the external entrance. Plans include installation of a large format screen above the main entrance near to Marks and Spencer, as well as energy-saving LED lights that can change the colour of the centre’s exterior walls. 

This announcement marks the latest phase of a plan to make the shopping destination more sustainable, more accessible and more attractive to customers and retailers. In recent years, the centre has introduced free, high bandwidth WiFi, redeveloped its car parks and bus stations and made facilities more accessible to those with disabilities. 

Planning permission for the project was submitted on 17 December and, subject to planning approval, work is set to begin in February 2019. Dan Murphy, regional centre manager at intu Merry Hill, said:

“The start of a shopping experience at any intu centre is all about bringing joy and creating a sense of occasion. With over 18 million people visiting intu Merry Hill every year we wanted to do just that.

"The refurbishment of our main entrance is the next phase in our plans to develop the centre, allowing us to offer an even better experience for local customers and those based further afield.

           

“In the last year we’ve welcomed 20 new retailers to the centre, including huge new stores for Next and Primark, making this an even more attractive destination for shoppers. Our focus is to attract even more great brands to our mall and this redevelopment is just one of the ways we can achieve that.” 

The centre has also expanded its food and drink offering in the past 12 months with PIZZASQR and Little Dessert Shop opening in the mall’s food court. The Garrison Saloon Bar, a Peaky Blinders themed micro-pub named after the BBC series, is the latest bar to open its doors on the centre’s Waterfront. 

intu Merry Hill was recently named a top 10 shopping centre by data analytics company GlobalData according to research it carried out taking into account the requirements of both tenants and shoppers. The shopping destination ranked 8 from a list of 50 centres, alongside eight other intu shopping centres in the top 20.