Next to open one of its biggest ever stores 

Next is to open one of its biggest ever stores on the site of the former BHS at Gateshead’s Intu Metrocentre.
Intu is planning to reconfigure 85,000 square feet of space for Next’s latest store which will double the fashion chain’s existing floor area when it opens in early 2018.
It will encompass space used by BHS’s Intu Metrocentre outlet for 30 years until its closure this summer. A Next Home will continue to operate at Intu Metrocentre’s retail park alongside the new store.
Kate Grant, regional director at Intu, said: “This fantastic new space at the heart of Intu Metrocentre will build on the strength of what is already one of Next’s most successful stores, allowing them to attract even more customers and create a number of new jobs.
“It’s a significant investment by Next that alongside our own investment programme and similar expansions by House of Frasier and Primark this year, represents a long-term commitment to Intu Metrocentre and the north east region as a thriving retail destination.”
The work forms part of an ongoing investment programme at Intu Metrocentre which has seen a refurbishment of the shopping centre’s Platinum Mall as well as an extension to its dining and leisure quarter, Qube.
House of Fraser extended its beauty hall by 2,346 square feet as part of a £5 million refit of the ground floor and café area this year and the centre’s Primark opened a 7,739 square foot extension to its ground and first floor levels in the summer.