There’s been quite a few end-of-year updates from shopping centres and all of them are upbeat after a busy 2025.
Image: British Land
Sheffield’s Meadowhall is one of them, noting it has been a strong year of exchanges on new leases covering 300,000 sq ft of the destination, 80% retail and 20% hospitality, including renewals from 19 tenants.
It said visitor numbers “have also remained consistently high”, headlined by its busiest Black Friday weekend in six years (262,981 visitors across the three days), while October’s school half-term was also the strongest in six years (457,000 visitors representing a 9.7% year-on-year increase).
Meanwhile, commercial brand activations continued to “perform effectively” throughout 2025, including standout initiatives from Trinny London and Jo Malone.
And, of course, new openings and expansions are the lifeblood of any centre with Meadowhall announcing fast-expanding novelty retailer Miniso has just joined its roster while fashion lifestyle brand TK Maxx has extended its presence there, “concluding a strong year of leasing activity and retail performance”.
TK Maxx has added an adjacent unit to create a 19,000 sq ft space, complete with a 173-ft fully-glazed frontage on the Upper Level The Gallery, showcasing its mix of branded fashion, beauty, homeware, and accessories.
Miniso, meanwhile, has opened a 1,759 sq ft store on Lower Level High Street, introducing its range of lifestyle, homeware, and technology products, alongside the brand’s character collections.
These additions follow several major openings in 2025, including beauty majors Sephora and Superdrug.
These introductions round off a period in which several tenants have invested significantly in upgrading and expanding their stores. More than £47 million has been spent by brands alone across 2024 and 2025, with more than a third of Meadowhall’s operators undertaking new fitouts and refurbishments in that time.
Looking ahead to 2026, operator British Land said more than 25 brands have already committed, and will be bringing a further £8 million of investment to the centre.
Louisa Holmes, Asset Director at operator British Land, said: “This year’s level of investment, from new arrivals and long-standing tenants, reflects the confidence brands have in Meadowhall as a critical part of their national portfolio. In addition to that, the centre’s success means our brands are effectively competing to bring the best and latest shop fits and concepts here, elevating the experience for our visitors.”
