Shopping CentresWith an attractive retail environment and good tenant mix, the Whitewater shopping centre will take shoppers from Dublin, writes Jack Fagan
Newbridge is to be promoted as a strong alternative to shopping in the traffic congested Dublin area with the opening last week of a new regional shopping centre in the Co Kildare town.
Apart from the advantages of easy access for shoppers from a broad stretch of the midlands and the east coast, the Whitewater shopping centre also has the distinction of having the strongest line-up of fashion and lifestyle traders of any provincial shopping centre in Ireland.
That may well have accounted for the throng of shoppers who packed the centre last Thursday for what was planned as a low key "soft" opening. The unexpectedly large turnout clearly signalled an enthusiastic welcome for something most large towns already have - a modern shopping centre - that will copperfasten Newbridge's appeal as an important business and retail centre. It is a long way from the old image of a one-street town with bars which frequently relied on racegoers going or coming from The Curragh, jockeys celebrating their success on the racetrack and Bord na Móna workers whose spending power was often determined by the weather.
Today, Newbridge is a prosperous, booming town with thriving industry and new housing estates populated by many Dublin commuters.
The shopping centre, developed by Sean Mulryan of Ballymore and Sean Dunne of Mountbrook, has the advantage of being located in the centre of the town where most of the available car-parking (almost 2,000) is concentrated.
The design and fit-out of shopping centres has improved in recent years and nowhere is this more evident than in Whitewater where architects Henry J Lyons and interior designer Benoy have created a retail destination that is vibrant and welcoming.
For shoppers, the experience is impressive because of the extensive use of elegant, high quality materials that will not date easily. Flowing lines and curved finishes promote a sense of sophistication and create the ideal backdrop for today's contemporary retail offering. The design maximises natural light while the careful use of artificial light helps to create different moods and character throughout the centre. Although it drew huge crowds on the opening day - and through last weekend - the centre never seemed uncomfortably crowded due to the broad public areas and the number of access points.
Many shopping centres - notably St Stephen's Green shopping centre in Dublin - have failed to make a success of retailing at first floor level. This is most unlikely to happen in Whitewater due to the lively retailing atmosphere among the big name tenants at this level, the ease of access by travelators and the attractions of a food hall that will have a broad appeal.
Anchor tenants Debenhams and Marks & Spencer have both had an excellent start in Newbridge but, for shoppers mainly interested in fashion and lifestyle, Whitewater has managed to pull in the biggest names: Zara, H&M, A-Wear, Oasis, Coast, Bershka, River Island, Karen Millen, New Look, Monsoon, Esprit, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Jane Norman, Ladybird and Sasha.
"That beats Grafton Street any day," says letting agent Larry Brennan of Hamilton Osborne King. He and joint letting agent Colm McEvoy Auctioneers did a good job and know it.
