Footfall up at Whitewater centre in Newbridge

WHITEWATER SHOPPING Centre in Newbridge is continuing to buck the trend in the slower retail climate by increasing its footfall and attracting new openings and re-brandings.

The appeal of the distinctive foodcourt is likely to be strengthened by the arrival shortly of the Italian restaurant Sbarro. Operated by an Irish franchisee, this will be the first Sbarro outlet in Ireland and will trade out of a unit of 73sq m (786sq ft). It will serve pizzas and pasta dishes. There are already nine other traders in the food area, including Burger King, KFC and Costa Coffee.

Meanwhile, Soho Fashions, an Irish-owned boutique fashion store already trading in Whitewater is to open a larger shop on the fashion-dominated second level in the centre. The company specialises in mid to high-end labels.

Another vote of confidence in the centre has been the decision by HMV to take over the Zavvi operation in Newbridge. HMV has about 200 outlets in key locations in Britain and Ireland and recently opted to acquire the five top performing Zavvi stores following the closure of the group. The shop in Whitewater has a floor area of 418sq m (4,500sq ft) and has already been re-branded.

JD Sports opened a shop of 200sq m (2,153sq ft) before Christmas. Other new lettings include Hair and Beauty, Salon Direct and Avenue Barber, who all trade from external units fronting on to The Avenue and Cutlery Road.

The owners of the centre, businessman Sean Mulryan and Warren Private Clients, have been greatly encouraged by an increase of 1.6 per cent in the overall number of shoppers in Newbridge during 2008 despite the sharp economic slowdown. “New tenants, re-branding and constant updating of the mix and offerings keeps Whitewater interesting for shoppers and maintains footfall at these levels,” says Lisa Fogarty, centre manager.

Although the Sasha store in the centre is one of a chain of stores closed last week, letting agents Savills and Bannon Commercial are hoping to find a strong replacement shortly because of the location of the centre on the ground floor close to Marks Spencer. Other big attractions include anchor tenant Debenhams as well as Zara, HM, River Island and Tommy Hilfiger.