Misplaced Pages

Rushmere Shopping Centre (formerly known as the Craigavon Shopping Centre or the Craigavon Centre) is a shopping centre and retail park in Craigavon, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

Opened in 1976, the centre is the one of the oldest and the third largest shopping centre in Northern Ireland, behind Belfast's Victoria Square and Derry's Foyleside, at over 350,000 sq ft, although combined with the retail park makes it over 480,000 sq ft. The anchor tenant of the centre is Primark, while the retail park's anchors are Homebase and Matalan. It also has a 24 hour gym.

History

On 21 September 1976, Rushmere opened to the public as the Craigavon Shopping Centre, and the anchor tenants were Dunnes Stores and Crazy Prices along with stores such as Marley Homecare and Eason.

In 1998, the Craigavon Shopping Centre reopened as Rushmere as part of a major expansion which saw a Sainsbury's and Tesco store open, the latter replacing Crazy Prices due to their buyout in 1997. The site was expanded again in 2004 with Debenhams opening as the main tenant in a 150,000 sq ft extension of the centre on October 21, and again in 2018 with Nando's and Five Guys opening.

In January 2011, Tesco closed its doors to move to a much larger store near the centre. The unit was later subdivided into two units, with the units being occupied by Home Bargains and Discount NI, which left Debenhams and Sainsbury's as the remaining anchors.

During the early 2020s, Rushmere had a major drop in footfall and tenants resulting in the closures of Topshop, Five Guys, a mixed Dorothy Perkins and Burton store, Debenhams and Sainsbury's, this was mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, the company which owned Rushmere, Moyallen Holdings Limited (which also owned the nearby Magowan West in Portadown and Victoria Place in Woking) was placed into administration, Killahoey Ltd bought the struggling shopping centre from the company later in 2023. In the same year, Primark opened on the ground floor of the former Debenhams.

In 2023, Rushmere began a redevelopment scheme to enhance the shopping experience, with a complete facelift to the centre, new stores and a subdivision of the former Sainsbury's supermarket into multiple stores being planned, set to be finished by January 2025. A new Lidl supermarket is also planned.

Stores and Entertainment

The shopping complex includes 70+ stores such as Argos, Boots, Dunnes Stores, JD Sports, Mango, New Look, Primark, Schuh, Søstrene Grene, TK Maxx and Waterstones, and eateries/cafes such as Caffè Nero, McDonald's and Nando's.

For leisure and entertainment, the centre runs a singing stage known as Rushmere Sounds, the centre also has a 24 hour gym operated by PureGym.

References

1. ^ "About Us | Rushmere Shopping Centre". 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
2. ^ "Doors open at new Primark store in Rushmere Shopping Centre - Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council". 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
3. Morton, Robin (10 March 1998). "Sainsbury pays over £1m for drink licence". Belfast Telegraph.
4. "Development round-up". Estates Gazette. 2 October 2004. The 150,000 sq ft extension to the centre will open on 21 October, taking the centre's total size to 450,000 sq ft. The centre, which has a capital value of £95m, provides a mix of mall shopping and a retail park with free parking.... The extension, will house anchor tenant Debenhams in a 82,000 sq ft store and further 12 stores.
5. "Nando's and Five Guys opens in Northern Ireland shopping centre". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2018-09-28. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
6. "Tesco creates 180 Extra jobs as it opens the doors of Craigavon store". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2011-01-25. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
7. "Craigavon: Rushmere Shopping Centre placed into administration". BBC News. 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
8. "Craigavon's Rushmere shopping centre sold to Killahoey Ltd". BBC News. 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
9. "Rushmere: £10m redevelopment of retail centre reaches milestone". The Irish News. 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
10. "Plans submitted for new Lidl store next to Rushmere Shopping Centre". Armagh I. 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
11. "Thirty jobs in pipeline as JD Sports set to triple in size at Rushmere Shopping Centre". Armagh I. 2024-03-25. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
12. "Rushmere owners launch bid to revive former Sainsbury's unit with six shops and restaurants". The Irish News. 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
13. "Rushmere Stores | Rushmere Shopping Centre". 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
14. Staff Reporter (2024-08-12). "Fashion retailer Mango to open at Rushmere Shopping Centre". Armagh I. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
15. "7 new outlets are set to open at Rushmere Shopping Centre before Christmas". NorthernIrelandWorld. 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2024-12-04.

External links

• Official website

54°27′03″N 6°23′25″W / 54.4507°N 6.3904°W / 54.4507; -6.3904

• Shopping centres in Northern Ireland
• Shopping malls established in 1976
• Retail parks in the United Kingdom