{"id":398005,"date":"2026-01-07T18:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T18:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/398005\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T18:00:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T18:00:10","slug":"metrocentre-shone-in-2025-as-boxing-day-success-typified-robust-festive-trading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/398005\/","title":{"rendered":"Metrocentre shone in 2025 as Boxing Day success typified robust festive trading"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Published
\n <\/p>\n

January 7, 2026<\/p>\n

\n Supermall success stories and coming in fast, with\u00a0the Metrocentre Partnership announcing it has recorded a robust festive trading period at its Gateshead mall.<\/p>\n

\"\" Metrocentre<\/p>\n

It saw \u201cincreased footfall and standout trading days, underpinned by the success of 2025 openings, generating strong momentum into 2026\u201d.<\/p>\n

Boxing Day, in particular, delivered an \u201cexceptional performance\u201d, with footfall finishing 7.6% ahead of the same day in 2024, \u201csignificantly outperforming the national average of 4.4% for shopping centres and high streets across the UK\u201d, it noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This uplift was echoed throughout December, “with several high-performing trading days delivering an annual footfall of over 16m visitors, a 1.5% increase on 2024”.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis footfall growth is a reflection of the successful leasing strategy\u2026 which has, over several years, brought about evolution of the tenant mix, ensuring a combination of retail, F&B, leisure, and alternative uses that resonates with its broad catchment across the North East\u201d, it added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Momentum was driven by a programme of \u201cnew openings, targeted investment, and continued confidence from leading national and international brands\u201d.<\/p>\n

At the heart was Metrocentre \u201celevat[ing] its offer with regional debuts for brands such as Stradivarius<\/a> and Activate, plus \u201cstandout openings\u201d for Urban Outfitters<\/a>, S\u00f8strene Grene, and Diamond Factory.<\/p>\n

Alongside new openings, 2025 also saw \u201csignificant brand and landlord investment\u201d, including a series of upsizes, relocations, and refurbishments. Highlights included Boots<\/a>\u2019 refurbished 40,000 sq ft store and Superdrug\u2019s relocation to a new 10,000 sq ft unit with a new store format.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The destination also announced a UK exclusive for Peppa Pig: Surprise Party, set to open in the coming months, as well as homewares\/gifting brand KENJI.<\/p>\n

Ben Cox, director at operator Sovereign Centros from\u00a0CBRE, said: “We have ended 2025 on such a high, with strong leasing activity and continued investment across the scheme from the owners and brands. This work done in the last 12 months will really take hold in 2026, with several openings on the horizon and a continuation of our strategy to diversify uses, maintaining Metrocentre\u2019s position as the leading destination in the region by providing even more reasons to visit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat strategy is one that is rooted in longevity; we want the best brands, the best experience, and we want this to continue for years to come. These festive results speak volumes about the progress we have made and will continue to make, as we uphold our reputation in and importance to the North East.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published January 7, 2026 Supermall success stories and coming in fast, with\u00a0the Metrocentre Partnership announcing it has recorded…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":398006,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,5424,130270,802,20638,1033,312,1001,85,211996,211997],"class_list":["post-398005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-beauty","tag-boots","tag-boxing","tag-fashion","tag-luxury","tag-network","tag-professionals","tag-sports","tag-stradivarius","tag-urban-outfitters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=398005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/398006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=398005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=398005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=398005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}