Grand Central and John Lewis draw in the crowds on opening day
Crowds flocked to Birmingham’s Grand Central shopping when it opened today, with most attention reserved for the anchor tenant John Lewis store.
Grand Central, which sits above the refurbished New Street Station, is the biggest retail development in Birmingham since the new Bullring opened.
At 250,000 sq ft, the £35 million regional flagship is one of the largest John Lewis shops in the UK and its arrival has created 650 jobs across Birmingham and the wider region.
John Lewis today revealed it received over 10,000 applications received – more than 15 applicants per role.
The very first purchase at John Lewis Birmingham was a racing car and a Tech-tool pen, bought by Anthony Bagga from Leicester as a gift for his nephew.
John Lewis managing director Andy Street, who also chairs the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP, said:
Today sends a clear message that John Lewis is firmly committed to the British High Street and that physical shops remain as important to us as they do to our customers.
Birmingham is a city which we have wanted to be a part of for many years and the New Street Station and Grand Central development offered us the perfect opportunity to make this a reality.
Our new Birmingham regional flagship shop is a bold expression of the very best of John Lewis in 2015 and it is particularly exciting that customers will be able to step directly from New Street Station, into four floors of inspiring fashion, home and technology.
Lisa Williams, Head of Branch, John Lewis Birmingham added:
Birmingham is a city that has always led the way, so it feels right that Birmingham is home to our most innovative shop to date. My team and I are looking forward to welcoming customers to what is a unique retail space.
Our recruitment process has been incredibly successful, with unprecedented demand – at one point we were receiving one application every minute. We have built a great team, with our 650 Partners coming from right across the region.
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