Westfield Derby

Infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Westfield Derby

---

image_width = 250
location = Derby, UK
opening_date = 1975 (extension opened 2007)
owner = Westfield and Hermes
number_of_stores = 150
number_of_anchors = 6
floor_area = 106,130 m² (1,142,383 ft²)
floors = 3
parking = 3647
website = [http://www.westfieldderby.co.uk/ www.westfieldderby.co.uk]

Westfield Derby (still commonly known by its previous name, The Eagle Centre) is a large indoor shopping centre in centre of Derby, UK jointly owned by Westfield and Hermes.

Overview

Westfield Derby is located in the centre of Derby and contains around 150 shops, a supermarket, a cinema and several eateries. The largest stores are Next, Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and Sainsbury's. The Cinema de Lux in the centre was the first in the country. It has three car parks and is a few minutes' walk away from both Derby's bus and railway stations, though the bus station is currently closed for redevelopment and not due to reopen until 2009.

The UK's largest indoor market, the Eagle Market, adjoins the centre. The market and Derby Playhouse (which is accessed through the market) were considered to be part of the centre when it was known as The Eagle Centre. When the centre was expanded and renamed in 2007 (see below), the market — which is owned by Derby City Council and not Westfield or Hermes — did not take on the new Westfield name; instead it slightly changed its name from the Eagle Centre Market to simply the Eagle Market and introduced its own branding, distinct from both the former Eagle Centre's and Westfield's, making itself distinct from the shopping centre for the first time.

A much smaller indoor shopping precinct, St Peter's Way, is also physically connected to Westfield Derby, with customers able to seamlessly walk between the two.

History

The centre opened as The Eagle Centre on November 20 1975 at a cost of £7,000,000. Several streets of terraced housing built in the early 1820s were demolished to make way for the new centre, including a street called Eagle Street, hence the name of the new development.

The centre's market was rebuilt in 1990 and the entire centre was refurbished in 1999.

A £340m extension to the Eagle Centre was opened on October 9 2007 by TV celebrity Tess Daly.The extension sits on the site of the former Castlefields Main Centre, a dilapidated outdoor shopping centre already owned by Westfield. The extension [ [http://westfield.com/eaglecentre/centreupgrade/index.html Eagle Centre extension news] ] doubled the size of the centre 51,559 m² (554,981 ft²) to 106,130 m² (1,142,383 ft²) [http://westfield.com/eaglecentre/centreupgrade/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.html] . As well as adding many new retailers, the extension also houses an 800-seat foodcourt including a KFC outlet. [ [http://www.shopping-centre.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/2024/Cafe_plans_unveiled_for_Westfield_Derby.html Plans for Food Court unveiled] ] , a £30m twelve-screen Cinema de Lux and even more car parking facilities. Many retailers, including Debenhams, Marks and Spencers and Republic, closed their existing Derby stores to move to bigger stores in the extension [ [http://www.derbycityscape.com/main/DateofWestfieldopeningrevealed.htm Westfield Derby Opening] ] . When the extension opened, the Eagle Centre was renamed to 'Westfield Derby' (in line with other Westfield shopping centres), though most locals still refer to the centre by its previous name [cite news|last = Walsh|first = David|title = The Eagle is Grounded|publisher = Derby Evening Telegraph|date = 2006-11-30|url = http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=131596&command=displayContent&sourceNode=124371&contentPK=16075900&folderPk=55129&pNodeId=124522|accessdate = 2006-11-30] .

Popularity

Previously, the Eagle Centre attracted 19,000,000 shoppers a year, which has been predicted to rise to around 26,000,000 visitors following the extension opening [cite web|title = Westfield Group - Westfield The Eagle Centre (Corporate Site)|publisher = The Westfield Group |url = http://westfield.com/corporate/retailer/uk/eaglecentre.html|accessdate = 2006-12-01 ] [cite web| title = New £340m shopping centre opens |publisher = BBC|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/7035189.stm|accessdate = 2007-10-09 ] .

The number of shops moving into Westfield Derby has led to concerns that parts of Derby city centre may become a ghost town, with few shops remaining outside the centre.

References

External links

* [http://www.westfieldderby.co.uk/ Westfield Derby]