Southampton city centre & West Quay A case study to show how an urban area has changed overtime

So how has retailing changed? Change 1 - Geographical location has changed - out of town shopping Vs regeneration of CBD Change 2 - Size of shop. Huge department & High Street stores Vs tiny independents Change 3 - Methods of shopping such as internet, catalogue, superstore

Out-of-town shopping

Mall shopping

High Street Shopping

Online shopping

Why has retailing in Southampton City Centre changed? Task 1: LOOK at the old photos of Bargate and High Street. Think… What was shopping like back then? Write down 5 bullet points to describe How is it different along the High Street and Bargate today

So what’s changed in Soton? In 1940 Southampton saw three weekends of particularly heavy bombing and shops like Tyrell and Green (John Lewis) were completely destroyed. This is why all along Above and Below Bar the buildings are of different ages and architectural styles as many were re-built in 50’s and 60’s

NOT MANY! (Bargate and Marlands – both fairly unsuccessful with a high turnover of stores) Devastated during World War 2 Few major service functions (limited sphere of influence). What major shopping facilities did Southampton have before West Quay? Southampton needed a way to boost its service economy...

How well do you know these two places? List 5 reasons why West Quay is more successful than Bargate...

Marlands (opened 1991) West Quay (opened 2000) Bargate (opened 1989) (opened 2009)

Donut Effect Dead city centers, Redeveloped/more affordable housing out of town, Run down shops/shopping centers in town, Out-of-town shopping has taken over, Very few people in town any more.

What else changed? Decline of independent specialist shops often run by families Rise of ‘high street’ stores (like Topshop, HMV) as disposable income increases Growth of out of town shopping such as M&S at Hedge End (1994) and supermarkets as car ownership increases and suburbanisation Growth of shopping malls/centres e.g. Bargate 1989, Marlands 1991 Rise of brands and fashion (e.g.Hollister) who will pay money to get best retail location

Biggest change? = West Quay? Over 100 shops & 2 anchor stores under one roof (John Lewis & Marks & Spencer) Entire floor of catering Cost £295 million to build Owned by Hammerson (they built the Bullring in Birmingham and Oracle in Reading)

Where? Situated in Above Bar - north of the Bargate building in Southampton West Quay entrance was formerly the Daily Echo offices & Pirelli cable factory so a brownfield site Connects Portland terrace and areas to the west of Above Bar

More WQ facts… A 33 acre site its total retail space is 74,500m2 - five times the size of a football stadium! Southampton was previously ranked 27th in the UK as a regional city in terms of retail space. With the opening of WestQuay, its position has risen to number 13

WestQuay’s catchment is 2 million people living within a 60 minute drive. Together they represent a total of £2.32 billion retail spend. Initially approx 12 million people were expected to visit the centre in the 1st year BUT 1.5 million people had visited WestQuay within 2 weeks of opening! By end of 2001, a total of 16 million visitors had passed through the doors, WOW.

How? Demolition on the brownfield site in September 1997 West Quay opened on 28th September 2000 WQ is constructed on the former site of the first Pirelli Cable Works and on the former Daily Echo site The development crosses over three major roads. It absorbs a 4 ½ metre change in ground level between east and west boundaries

Marlands (opened 1991) West Quay (opened 2000) Bargate (opened 1989) (opened 2009)

Why did Southampton choose to develop the area in and around WestQuay? Excellent access (M27 link and station) Parking “One stop shopping” Anchor stores have a wider sphere of influence Huge range of major stores (caters for all ages) Growing popularity of major mall shopping experiences (spacious) Rise in “cafe culture”

Task: Using the information you have found out..... Write a paragraph describing what has happened to the provision of shopping facilities in Southampton. Where has the location shifted from and to? PEE - Why has this happened?

Plenary Can you suggest any ways in which the Bargate could be regenerated to attract more people? Do you think it would be best to keep it as a shopping centre or turn it into something else?