The Fosse Park shopping centre underwent a major expansion to enhance the shopping experience for visitors.
The shopping centre is jointly owned by The Crown Estate (50%) and Chinese state-backed business Gingko Tree Investment (50%).
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Construction of the Fosse Park extension started in April 2019 and was completed in April 2021.
The £168m ($212m) project involved the redevelopment of the neighbouring Castle Acres site to deliver a new retail extension and food court for the shopping centre.
The Fosse Park retail centre attracts 11 million visitors annually and is ranked as one of the leading shopping centres in the UK.
Location
The shopping centre is located at Fosse Park Avenue within the Blaby district at the southern edge of Leicester. The centre is located just off the A5460 road and less than 1km away from junction 21 of the M1 road.
The facility can be accessed by a regularly scheduled bus service from the centre of Leicester and its suburbs.
Fosse Park shopping centre expansion details
Built by Bowmer + Kirkland nearly 30 years ago, the centre features more than 25 stores and occupies an area of 580,000ft².
The redevelopment project added 140,000ft² of new retail and restaurant space.
The Fosse Park West development on the adjacent Castle Acres project site (formerly the Everards Brewery site) includes two anchor units, an A1 retail terrace, two A3 pod units, a customer car park, and public realm improvements.
The second part of the redevelopment, Food Central, involved the redevelopment of the existing food court.
The building was demolished and replaced with a new, part single-storey and part two-storey building housing four retail units and 16 food retail units including casual dining, fast-food, and restaurant formats.
Food Central provides on-foot access between the Fosse Park West extension and Fosse Park North.
The retail park was anticipated to be completed in October 2020 but was delayed until April 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Phase A of the car park improvements at Fosse Park North was completed in September 2019, followed by the completion of Phase B improvements in December 2019.
The shopping centre now includes an improved car park and new facades outside the Clarks and Carphone Warehouse outlets. The shopping facility has 3,100 free car parking spaces with electric car charging bays.
The extension also involved the creation of new communal areas and event spaces, with improved landscaping and accessibility.
Retail and F&B offerings at Fosse Park shopping centre
Fosse Park is anchored by Next, apart from TK Maxx and Debenhams.
The retail outlets at the northern side of the centre include Clarks, JD Sports, H&M, Levi’s, Nike, Skechers, River Island, USC, Sports Direct, Footasylum, Marks & Spencer (M&S), and Boots.
The retailers at the south side include Argos, Oak Furnitureland, a ScS superstore, Sofology, and a Currys PC World megastore.
The food and beverage (F&B) units at the centre include McDonald’s, M&S Cafe, Costa Coffee, Chaiiwala, Cafe Clo, Dunkin, Greggs, Nando’s, KFC, Starbucks, Thai Express, Zizzi, Volpo Lounge, Grounded Kitchen, and Itsu.
Contractors involved
Bowmer + Kirkland, a construction and development company, was responsible for delivering the expansion project under a £48.9m contract while Fox Lloyd Jones was the project manager.
Faircloth Construction, a construction company, won a contract to upgrade store facades and deliver car park enhancements.
Builder Caxton Builders worked with Bowmer + Kirkland on the expansion project.
Mellor Bromley, a mechanical services provider, was awarded a contract by Bowmer + Kirkland to provide mechanical services such as air conditioning, water services, ventilation, sanitary ware, a sprinkler system, and above-ground drainage.
Danaher & Walsh, a civil engineering company, was contracted by Bowmer + Kirkland to carry out motorway works near the retail centre.
The project team also included Dunnett Craven Architects, Corstorphine & Wright Architects, RPS, T.I. Dynamic Facades, Bailey Streetscene, Future Fire Solutions, Biotecture, CDM Services, Vitrine Systems, and Turner & Townsend alinea (previously alinea consulting).
