Barberry Developments has announced the completion of phase one
of its £1 million transformation of the Phoenix Retail Park
in Swansea, South Wales.
The popular shopping destination is undergoing extensive
improvements including full refurbishment of six retail units
totaling 65,000 sq ft and a major redesign of the car park and
access roads.
The completion of phase one, which includes six units, will be
marked with the launch of the new Home Bargains store in time for
Easter trading, said Barberry director Martyn Cartwright. Other
units in phase one include B&M Retail, operators of the B&M
Bargains chain of stores who have taken a new 15-year lease, and
Carpet Clearance Superstore.
Phase two, the refurbishment of the 20,000 sq ft former Halfords
store, will be completed by July.
Worcestershire-based Barberry, which acquired the first
generation retail park in 2007, has carried out an extensive
refurbishment of the site including re-configuring the 240-space
car park to make it more user-friendly, and will be providing a new
access road from Fendrod Way to the front of the scheme. It is a
well-established retail destination with nearby retailers including
Tesco Extra, Carpet Right and Comet, said Mr Cartwright.
"The extensive improvements we have carried out at Phoenix
Retail Park have made it much more car and pedestrian friendly and
a very attractive open A1 retail park. We are sure that the work
carried out will result in much higher footfall.
"All the units in phase one have been re-clad with new glazed
feature entrances, giving the whole site a facelift. We have also
got planning consent to improve access for motorists. In the car
park, we have installed better lighting, widened footpaths and
provided better access for the disabled. Walkways also now have
rain protection, so the shopping experience is vastly improved all
round."
B&M Retail has moved into unit one on Phoenix Retail Park
and has been trading successfully since opening last year. It is
one of the UK's fastest growing retailers with 190 stores. Its
massive growth is attributed to rising customer awareness as the
company's geographic footprint extends. The stores attract over 1
million shoppers per week, helping them to achieve a 140% growth in
profits in 2009.
Simon Arora, managing director of B&M Retail, said: "As we
have experienced unprecedented growth since our formation in 2004,
we have been looking to expand further south from our home market
in the North West for quite some time. Having the larger store at
Phoenix Retail Park means we are now even better equipped to serve
the needs of our customers in Swansea and the surrounding area.
Phoenix Retail Park is an ideal location close to the centre of
Swansea yet provides the floor space we require. We are certain
that this will be a wise move for us and footfall to the new store
will be high."
Phoenix Retail Park is ideally located within four miles of
Swansea city centre and has excellent access to junctions 44/45 of
the M4. Barberry gained planning permission to improve the access
roads from Phoenix Way into the retail park including a new access
road from Fendrod Way to the front of the scheme.