The Pallasades Shopping Centre is being completely transformed and will be rebranded as Grand Central Birmingham when it opens in Autumn 2014, anchored by John Lewis’s full line department store. The new name draws upon its inherent rail connotations and conveys the wider ambition and grand aspirations of this new, unique retail development.

The new name denotes the next exciting chapter in shopping opportunities within the West Midlands and will see the redeveloped centre become an integral part of the city’s retail landscape. The major development, part of the transformation of New Street Station, is positioned to complement Birmingham’s retail landscape and other major retail destinations in the city, including Bullring Birmingham and The Mailbox. Grand Central will bring a retail mix of unrivalled premium fashion and quality high street brands to the city – along with an anticipated 50m visitors per year.

The 250,000 sq ft John Lewis store will be complemented by an additional 200,000 sqft of retail space for over 50 new premium fashion and lifestyle stores new to the heart of Birmingham.

Research shows that over 100 aspirational retailers do not currently have stand-alone stores within the city and now the newly-named Grand Central Birmingham will house many of these brands.

The new retail area is an integral part of the £600m project to transform New Street railway station, which is being delivered by Network Rail on behalf of funding partners including Birmingham City Council, Department for Transport and Centro. The new station concourse will be three and a half times bigger than at present and enclosed by a giant atrium that will flood both Grand Central and the concourse with natural light.

Situated above New Street station, Grand Central will enjoy unrivalled levels of footfall in one of the best performing trading environments available to retailers today. Network Rail’s station retail results consistently outperform results on the high-street.

Keith Stone, leasing director for Grand Central, commented: “Birmingham doesn’t currently have a centrally-located shopping destination for premium fashion brands such as can be found in other major UK cities. Grand Central will now fulfill this demand within the city. We have already had a great response from the retailers we have spoken with.”

Andy Street, managing director of John Lewis said: “We are very pleased our new full-line department store will be anchoring Grand Central Birmingham and look forward to playing an active role in cementing Birmingham’s status as a key retail destination.”

The scheme will bring a unique premium retail mix, state-of-the-art architecture and a dynamic shopping experience to the heart of Birmingham. Its integration with the world class New Street Station, currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment as part of a wider regeneration project of the station and surrounding area of the city, will create a truly unique shopping destination for premium brands in the city.

Birmingham City Council’s leader, Sir Albert Bore said: “We look forward to Grand Central Birmingham becoming a key element of the city’s ever-improving retail landscape, and welcome John Lewis and the retail offer this will bring to the city. We’ve seen already the economic and wider benefits that the New Street regeneration project will deliver for Birmingham and it’s really exciting to see this project continuing to come to life, further strengthening the city’s position as a leading major retail destination in the UK.”