Hammerson announces that its first dedicated leisure-led development, Westquay Watermark in Southampton has completed, providing the city with the UK’s largest dining and leisure complex. The scheme is an extension to Westquay North shopping complex.
Boosting Westquay’s total leisure and retail space to over 1 million square feet (93,500 square metres) and marking an £85 million investment in Southampton, the scheme has completely transformed the city’s leisure and dining offer. With its all new line-up of over 20 restaurants including Five Guys, Bills, Cau, Franco Manca, Byron, Nando’s, Casa Brasil, Cosmo and Red Dog Saloon, the scheme has provided a gateway for the brands into the city, a number of them choosing the scheme to open their first restaurants outside of London.
Currently 95% let, the development also incorporates a Hollywood Bowl and a 10-screen Showcase Cinema de Lux, which opened its doors to the public for the first time on Friday 10th February. The cinema is a UK first for Showcase with its laser projection and Dolby Atmos™ sound technology in every screen. The cinema also boasts the South Coast’s largest XPlus screen and fully customizable electric recliner seat in every auditorium.
Over 1,000 employment opportunities have been created including 640 in construction, with 45% of construction staff on the development living within 20 miles of the site, and 500 jobs in the hospitality and catering sector.
David Atkins, Hammerson CEO, said, “Completion of Westquay Watermark is an important milestone for the business, marking Hammerson’s first solely leisure-led development and the largest development of its kind in the UK.
'By utilising our skills and experience in delivering consumer-led destinations we have cemented Westquay’s position as the South Coast’s leading retail, dining and leisure destination, whilst also breathing life into a previously lost part of the city.”