St. David's Centre
Encyclopedia
St. David's is one of the principal shopping centres in the city centre
of Cardiff
, capital of Wales
. Located in The Hayes
area of the southern city centre. Owing to the extension of St Davids 2 in 2009, St David's is now the eleventh largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom.
The construction of the extension cost a total of £675m and brought Cardiff within the top five shopping destinations in the United Kingdom
. The centre consists of original first phase, St David's Centre, adjoining St. David's Hall and the second phase, given the development name of St David's 2. The second phase of the shopping centre, opened on 22 October 2009, when the first 58 of its 88 stores opened for trade.
In 2008-9, the annual footfall of the centre was 27 million, and is expected to rise to 33 million in 2009-10. 20 million people visited the centre during the first six months after the opening of St. David's 2.
St David's was crowned the international shopping centre of the year in 2010 by Global Retail Leisure International, beating contenders in Portugal and Singapore.
St. David's is patrolled by three paramedic
s on bicycles between every Friday and Sunday in order to respond rapidly to medical emergencies.
The centre attracted an average footfall of 39,000,000 per annum and has a core catchment of 2.4 million people. The 12 million tourists that visit the city annually help generate over £7.5 billion in retail spending. There are seventy-five individual shops and stores in the first centre that cater for a broad demographic. The centre is anchored by Boots, Debenhams
, Marks & Spencer
and Bhs
. It is strategically situated close to central car parking and benefits from being close to public transport services. The centre is also adjacent to St. David's Hall.
The second phase (St. David's 2) was a £675m extension of the centre, in which a large part of Cardiff's south city centre was demolished. Demolished buildings included Oxford Arcade, St. David's Market, St. David's Link including the Cardiff Central Library
, the NCP
Tredegar Street multi-storey car park
, the Wales National Ice Rink
, the NCP Bridge Street multi-storey car park, and Toys "R" Us who relocated to Cardiff International Sports Village
. The new development consists of 3 main buildings in total; a new Central Library building, which is built on part of the Marriott Hotel car park, the John Lewis
department store, which is built on the former Wales National Ice Rink, and the main shopping area, which is built on the form Oxford Arcade, St. David's Link and western side of Bridge Street. It also includes apartments, called Hayes Apartments, above the main shopping centre.
The second phase is made up of different sections, they are:
St. David's 2 has added an extra 967500 sq ft (89,883.7 m²) of retail space to the city centre, in addition to the 260000 sq ft (24,154.8 m²) John Lewis department store, 9 other large stores, and a further 90 smaller shops in a two-tiered shopping mall have been built. It has also created 3,000 car parking spaces, new bars and restaurants plus the new 55000 sq ft (5,109.7 m²) Central Library and 4,500 permanent jobs. The development has included 2 new arcades; Grand Arcade and Hayes Arcade to reflect Cardiff's historical Victorian arcades.
The project, that it set to make Cardiff one of the top five shopping destinations in the United Kingdom, topped out
on 27 January 2009. Many of the retailers in the second phase of the centre are new to Cardiff, and to Wales, in particular John Lewis
, Apple and Hollister
. Ruby Tuesday have even chosen St. Davids to enter the UK and western European market. St David's is now one of the busiest shopping centres in the European Union, exceeding Birmingham
's Bull Ring.
, Gourmet Burger Kitchen
and Carluccio's. The architect for the building was the Building Design Partnership
.
. The sculpture consists of a large stainless steel and enamelled metal arrow column and a hoop, which glows in the dark, and falls and rises with the tide.
The sculpture, paid for by the St David’s shopping centre as part of a £1.5m public art scheme in the city centre, was installed in the space between the new mall and Cardiff Central Library
.
. Hayes Apartments has private courtyard gardens designed by Hyland Edgar Driver and planted above the rooftop of the shopping centre.
In summer 2010, the first residents moved into Hayes Apartments which was launched by an outdoor garden party on the development's private courtyard gardens. Sales in the first two phases were announced as completed at the end of 2010 and sales began in the third phase, block 4, which is the largest block. The development is due for completion in 2012.
and Land Securities to provide a new logo and identity for the new St. David's shopping centre.
Air Design Ltd were commissioned to provide signage, environmental graphics and to design the new website for St David's,
51°28′51"N 3°10′32"W
Cardiff city centre
Cardiff city centre is the central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bounded by the River Taff to the west, the Civic centre to the north and railway lines and two railway stations - Central and Queen Street - to the south and east respectively...
of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, capital of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Located in The Hayes
The Hayes
The Hayes is a commercial area in the southern city centre of the Welsh capital, Cardiff. Based around the road of that name leading south towards the east end of the city centre, the area is mostly pedestrianised....
area of the southern city centre. Owing to the extension of St Davids 2 in 2009, St David's is now the eleventh largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom.
The construction of the extension cost a total of £675m and brought Cardiff within the top five shopping destinations in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The centre consists of original first phase, St David's Centre, adjoining St. David's Hall and the second phase, given the development name of St David's 2. The second phase of the shopping centre, opened on 22 October 2009, when the first 58 of its 88 stores opened for trade.
In 2008-9, the annual footfall of the centre was 27 million, and is expected to rise to 33 million in 2009-10. 20 million people visited the centre during the first six months after the opening of St. David's 2.
St David's was crowned the international shopping centre of the year in 2010 by Global Retail Leisure International, beating contenders in Portugal and Singapore.
St. David's is patrolled by three paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
s on bicycles between every Friday and Sunday in order to respond rapidly to medical emergencies.
The first phase
St. David's Shopping Centre was open to the public in January 1981, although it did not officially open until 24 March 1982. The centre has entrances on Queen Street and Working Street. It previously also had an entrance on Hill's Street, but this is now the entrance to the new St. David's 2 shopping centre. It is also joined internally with Queens Arcade. There are 3 thoroughfares within the centre; Town Wall, Cathedral Walk and St. David's Way.The centre attracted an average footfall of 39,000,000 per annum and has a core catchment of 2.4 million people. The 12 million tourists that visit the city annually help generate over £7.5 billion in retail spending. There are seventy-five individual shops and stores in the first centre that cater for a broad demographic. The centre is anchored by Boots, Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
, Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
and Bhs
Bhs
BHS Limited is a British department store chain with branches mainly located in high street locations, primarily selling clothing and household items such as bedlinen, cutlery, crockery and lighting. The company has 187 stores throughout the United Kingdom...
. It is strategically situated close to central car parking and benefits from being close to public transport services. The centre is also adjacent to St. David's Hall.
The second phase (St. David's 2)
St. David's, and much of the southern end of Cardiff city centre's shopping area, was re-developed as part of the St David's 2 development.The second phase (St. David's 2) was a £675m extension of the centre, in which a large part of Cardiff's south city centre was demolished. Demolished buildings included Oxford Arcade, St. David's Market, St. David's Link including the Cardiff Central Library
Cardiff Central Library
Cardiff Central Library , is the main library in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. Four buildings have been named as such, with the newest building opening on 14 March 2009 and officially being opened a few months later on 18 June 2009 by the Manic Street Preachers...
, the NCP
National Car Parks
National Car Parks is the United Kingdom’s largest private car park operator, with over 200,000 spaces across more than 700 locations in towns and cities, railway stations and at airports....
Tredegar Street multi-storey car park
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
, the Wales National Ice Rink
Wales National Ice Rink
The Wales National Ice Rink was an ice rink in Cardiff, Wales. It was the former home of the Cardiff Devils ice hockey team. The WNIR was opened in 1986 and was demolished in September 2006....
, the NCP Bridge Street multi-storey car park, and Toys "R" Us who relocated to Cardiff International Sports Village
Cardiff International Sports Village
Cardiff International Sports Village is located in Cardiff Bay in the city of Cardiff, Wales. It is one of the largest regeneration projects currently in the UK...
. The new development consists of 3 main buildings in total; a new Central Library building, which is built on part of the Marriott Hotel car park, the John Lewis
John Lewis (department store)
-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...
department store, which is built on the former Wales National Ice Rink, and the main shopping area, which is built on the form Oxford Arcade, St. David's Link and western side of Bridge Street. It also includes apartments, called Hayes Apartments, above the main shopping centre.
The second phase is made up of different sections, they are:
- St. David's Walk, leading to the extension of DebenhamsDebenhamsDebenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
and the Grand Arcade. Stores such as Peacocks, Korres, Select, Principality Building SocietyPrincipality Building SocietyPrincipality is a Welsh building society based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. With assets of just under £6bn it is the largest building society in Wales and the seventh largest in the United Kingdom. Principality Building Society is mutual, which means it is owned by its members rather than...
, Suits You, Thought's Cards & Wheels of Sport as well as a StarbucksStarbucksStarbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
opposite the DebenhamsDebenhamsDebenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
extension.
- St. David's Way, The original part of St. David's, consisting of most flagship stores in the complex, including Marks & SpencerMarks & SpencerMarks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
, DebenhamsDebenhamsDebenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
, British Home Stores & BootsBoots UKBoots UK Limited , is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country...
.
- The Hayes, with designer stores Hugo BossHugo BossHugo Ferdinand Boss was the founder of clothing company Hugo Boss.-Early life:Boss was born in Metzingen, Germany. After completing his apprenticeship and one year of employment, he founded his own company in Metzingen in 1923.-Support of Nazism:Boss joined the Nazi Party in 1931, two years before...
, All Saints, H&MH&MH & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
, L.K.BennettL.K.BennettL.K.Bennett is a luxury women’s fashion brand, based in London, United Kingdom. Originally created to produce “quintessentially English fashion”, L.K.Bennett now focuses on shoes, clothes and accessories, and use of luxury materials such as nappa leather and pony skin.-Linda K Bennett:Linda Kristin...
, TM Lewin, ReissReiss (brand)Reiss is a UK-based fashion brand owned and run by founder, David Reiss. The brand produces men's and women's clothing. It has 65 stores, located primarily in the UK, but with stores in the USA, Ireland, UAE, China and Malaysia. One store is located in Multrees Walk in Edinburgh, another in Marina...
, Fat FaceFat FaceFat Face is a chain of clothing retailers selling its own branded products. The company has over 190 stores in the United Kingdom, with international stores in Singapore, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, France, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. The chain sells clothes aimed at men, women and...
, Parkhouse Jewelers, Crew ClothingCrew ClothingCrew Clothing is a UK-based clothing retailer that specialises in luxury British casualwear for men and women. The company sells clothing through its 60 stores across the UK, website and via mail order, with over 3.2 million catalogues mailed every year....
, Kurt Geiger, Radley, Links of London, Leia, Crabtree & EvelynCrabtree & EvelynCrabtree & Evelyn is an American retailer of body and home products with stores globally. According to its website, Crabtree & Evelyn uses over 160 “natural botanical ingredients” in its skin care products. It is wholly owned by KLK, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad., a Malaysian company that also owns...
and Jamie Oliver'sJamie OliverJames "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
'Jamie's Italian'.
- Hayes Arcade with jewellery and accessory boutiques. Names like SwatchSwatchSwatch is a brand name for a line of wrist watches from the Swatch Group, a Swiss conglomerate with vertical control of the production of Swiss watches and related products...
, Folli FollieFolli FollieFolli Follie Group is a Greek-based international company which designs, manufactures and distributes jewellery, watches and fashion accessories. Through its subsidiaries it also operates duty-free shops and sporting goods retail outlets.-History:...
, Thomas Sabo, Ollie & Nic & L'Occitaine
- Grand Arcade, connecting St. David's Walk in the original centre to John Lewis. This is the largest part of the development and is split into 2 floors; the upper level is home to big name stores such as Apple Store, H&MH&MH & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
, Hollister Co.Hollister Co.Hollister Co., sometimes advertised as Hollister or HCo., is an American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The concept was originally designed to attract consumers aged 14–18 through its SoCal-inspired image and casual wear. Goods are available in-store and through the company's online store...
, Lakeland, Tie RackTie RackTie Rack is a British-based tie retailer that sells scarves, cufflinks, and many other items of clothing. The stores are often small due to the nature of the product, and as such, are found in airports, railway stations, and shopping centres across the world....
, ClarksC&J ClarkC. and J. Clark International Ltd, trading as Clarks, is a British, international shoe manufacturer and retailer based in Street, Somerset, England...
, New Look, Paperchase, Guess, Jane NormanJane NormanJane Norman is an English clothing company, selling clothing aimed at women. In early 2007, Jane Norman reported a 45% rise in profits over 2006, and released plans to open 100 more stores around the country, having already almost doubled their number from the year before, to 116.The company was...
, MothercareMothercareMothercare plc is a British retailer which specialises in products for expectant mothers and in general merchandise for children up to 8 years old. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, NikeNike, Inc.Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, GapGap (clothing retailer)The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
and JoJo Maman BeBe. The lower level has stores such as Disney StoreDisney StoreDisney Store is an international chain of specialty stores selling only Disney related items, many of them exclusive. Disney Store is a business unit of Disney Consumer Products. James Fielding serves as the President....
, BarrattsBarrattsBarratts Priceless Ltd incorporates two long established high street brands in Barratts Shoes and Priceless Shoes in 2010. The Barratts shoes brand trades from 100 UK and Éire Stores and is committed to providing affordable fashion footwear...
, The Carphone WarehouseThe Carphone WarehouseCarphone Warehouse Group PLC , known as The Carphone Warehouse, is Europe's largest independent mobile phone retailer, with over 1,700 stores across Europe. It is based in the United Kingdom and is a 50% subsidiary of Best Buy...
, Sports DirectSports DirectSports Direct International plc is a British retailing group. Founded in 1982 by former county squash coach Mike Ashley, the company is now the UK's largest sporting retailer through a number of retail subsidiaries and sports equipment brands. Although now a publicly traded company on the London...
, LegoLegoLego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
Store, GameGAME (retailer)The Game Group plc is a British video games retail company. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index....
, HMVHMVHis Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
, O2O2 (United Kingdom)Telefónica UK Limited is a telecommunications, internet and financial services provider in the United Kingdom owned by Telefónica, forming part of its Telefónica Europe division...
, Karen MillenKaren MillenKaren Millen is an Icelandic owned women’s designer clothing brand, specialising in tailoring, coats and eveningwear. Karen Millen stores are found throughout the United Kingdom, America, Austria, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland and many other European countries.-History:The company was founded in...
, Coast, Warehouse, QuiksilverQuiksilverQuiksilver, Inc. , is an American company based in Huntington Beach, California, one of the world's largest manufacturers of surfwear and other boardsport-related equipment...
, David & GoliathTodd GoldmanTodd Harris Goldman is an American entrepreneur and the founder of David and Goliath, a merchandise company that produces clothing, posters and other merchandise featuring a variety of slogans based on older designs. According to the Wall Street Journal, the sales volume of David and Goliath was 90...
, FenchurchFenchurch (clothing)Fenchurch is a company and brand of skater clothing, based in Acton, London, England. Although a relatively new brand, it has quickly become a significant part of the urban fashion scene.-History:...
, Oasis, HenleysHenleys-Company history:Henleys was established in 1996 by Ben Luscombe, and Simon Peters became a partner in 2000. It is a private limited company...
, Jack & Jones/Vero ModaBestseller (company)Bestseller A/S is a privately held family-owned clothing company based in Denmark. The company was founded in 1975 and has 10 brands. Today, Bestseller has well over 5,700 stores selling its product in more than 43 countries, which makes it one of the largest fashion companies in...
, CultSuperdrySuperGroup plc is a British retail brand. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. The Group is made up of three main brands: Superdry, 77Breed and SurfCo California. Superdry products fuse vintage Americana fabrics with pseudo-Japanese text and have...
, FaithFaith shoesFaith is a UK shoe company that was started in 1964 by a London accountant called Samuel Faith and his wife Terry. In the following years new stores were gradually added, primarily in the South of England...
, Soletrader, Essential, Crouch, BeaverbrooksBeaverbrooksBeaverbrooks is a British jeweller. Established in 1919, with the opening of its first store in Belfast and still a family-owned business, with direct descendants of the founders, ,the custodians.-Awards and recognition:Beaverbrooks staff are the most content in the country, according to the Sunday...
and Goldsmith'sGoldsmiths (store)Goldsmiths is a jewellery retailer of the United Kingdom.- History :Goldsmiths was established in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1778 under the name Reid & Sons, and the original store is still trading. Goldsmiths is the largest retailer of Rolex, Cartier, Omega, Tag Heuer and Gucci in Britain. Goldsmiths...
.
- Eastside, is the restaurant and café quarter of the second phase of the centre. It is split over 2 levels, The Upper Eastside offers restaurants like Nando'sNando'sNando's is a casual dining restaurant group originating from South Africa with a Portuguese/Mozambican theme. Founded in 1987, Nando's operates in thirty countries on five continents....
, Pizza ExpressPizza ExpressPizzaExpress is a restaurant group with over 400 restaurants across the United Kingdom and 40 overseas in China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the Middle East. It was founded in 1965 by Peter Boizot.In Ireland, PizzaExpress trades under the name Milano....
, T.G.I. Fridays, Cafe RougeCafé RougeCafé Rouge is a French-styled restaurant chain in the UK, offering an all-day serving of main course meals, lighter snacks and salads as well as an extensive wine list. It is part of a bigger restaurant network owned by Tragus Ltd.-History:...
and the first Ruby TuesdayRuby Tuesday (restaurant)Ruby Tuesday is an American casual dining restaurant chain named after the Rolling Stones' song of the same name.- History :The first restaurant was founded in 1972 by five University of Tennessee students, and is now headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee. The first location was adjacent to UT's...
franchise in the UK and western Europe. The Lower Eastside offers smaller cafes such as Martin's Chocolatier, SpudulikeSpudulikeSpudulike is a United Kingdom-based fast food franchise founded in Edinburgh in 1974. Its products are baked potatoes , with a wide range of fillings. It has branches across Britain.- History :...
, Muffin Break and the first Pret A MangerPret A MangerPret a Manger is a British sandwich retail chain based in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. The name "Pret a Manger" comes from the French prêt à manger, meaning "ready to eat", a reference to prêt-à-porter .The company was founded in London in 1986 by friends Sinclair Beecham and...
and YO! SushiYo! SushiYO! Sushi is a British restaurant chain which was started in 1997 and is owned by Quilvest and the YO! Sushi Senior Management team. YO! Sushi specialises in delivering sushi to customers using the Japanese style 'kaiten' conveyor belt method...
in Wales, other restaurants here such as Boof, Cadwalader's Ice CreamCadwalader's Ice CreamCadwalader's Ice Cream is a family-run chain of well known ice cream parlours that originated in Gwynedd, Wales. The ice cream parlour was introduced in Criccieth, by husband and wife David and Hannah Cadwalader in 1927, and was originally run as a general store...
, and Bellini's Express are businesses owned and operated in Wales.
- Working Street, part of the façade of St. David's Hall was converted into store fronts to better blend with the facade of the Working Street entrance of St. David's Centre. Peacocks and Bon Marche currently occupy these new units.
- Leading fashion stores/exclusive stores Throughout the centre, there are new leading and luxury fashion stores opening their doors for their first time in Wales and for some, launching some of their ever first stores in Cardiff such as Ed Hardy, Luke 1977 and Fenchurch. Other exclusive and high end names that the centre boasts are Hollister, Reiss, Guess, All Saints, Radley, Hugo Boss, Kurt Geiger, Crew Clothing, Cult, Jack & Jones/Vero Moda, Blue Inc, Henleys, Pandora, Republic, Footasylum and Timberland.
- The first Welsh branch of the John LewisJohn Lewis (department store)-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...
department store chain opened in 2009 and is the currently the largest John Lewis store in the UK outside London. The John Lewis department store opened four weeks before the St. David's Grand Arcade shopping area was opened.
St. David's 2 has added an extra 967500 sq ft (89,883.7 m²) of retail space to the city centre, in addition to the 260000 sq ft (24,154.8 m²) John Lewis department store, 9 other large stores, and a further 90 smaller shops in a two-tiered shopping mall have been built. It has also created 3,000 car parking spaces, new bars and restaurants plus the new 55000 sq ft (5,109.7 m²) Central Library and 4,500 permanent jobs. The development has included 2 new arcades; Grand Arcade and Hayes Arcade to reflect Cardiff's historical Victorian arcades.
The project, that it set to make Cardiff one of the top five shopping destinations in the United Kingdom, topped out
Topping out
In building construction, topping out is a ceremony held when the last beam is placed at the top of a building. The term may also refer to the overall completion of the building's structure, or an intermediate point, such as when the roof is dried in...
on 27 January 2009. Many of the retailers in the second phase of the centre are new to Cardiff, and to Wales, in particular John Lewis
John Lewis (department store)
-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...
, Apple and Hollister
Hollister Co.
Hollister Co., sometimes advertised as Hollister or HCo., is an American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The concept was originally designed to attract consumers aged 14–18 through its SoCal-inspired image and casual wear. Goods are available in-store and through the company's online store...
. Ruby Tuesday have even chosen St. Davids to enter the UK and western European market. St David's is now one of the busiest shopping centres in the European Union, exceeding Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
's Bull Ring.
Cardiff Central Library
The new Central Library opened on 14 March 2009. The former permanent Central Library was located a few hundred yards north of the present building and was knocked down to make way for the St. David's 2 development. The new library has six floors totalling and area of 55000 ft2 and 90,000 books. The building shares its ground floor with 3 restaurant units, WagamamaWagamama
Wagamama is a British-headquartered restaurant chain, serving pan-Asian food in the style of a modern Japanese Ramen bar.-History:Created by Alan Yau, who subsequently created the Chinese restaurants Hakkasan and Yauatcha in London, the first Wagamama opened in 1992 off Gower Street in...
, Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Gourmet Burger Kitchen is a restaurant business in United Kingdom specialising in gourmet burgers from a fully traceable West Country herd....
and Carluccio's. The architect for the building was the Building Design Partnership
Building Design Partnership
Building Design Partnership is a firm of architects and engineers employing over 1200 staff in the UK and internationally.-Foundation:The firm was founded in 1961 by George Grenfell Baines with architects Bill White and John Wilkinson, quantity surveyor Arnold Towler and eight associate partners:...
.
Alliance
Alliance is a 25 metres (82 ft) high sculpture in the The HayesThe Hayes
The Hayes is a commercial area in the southern city centre of the Welsh capital, Cardiff. Based around the road of that name leading south towards the east end of the city centre, the area is mostly pedestrianised....
. The sculpture consists of a large stainless steel and enamelled metal arrow column and a hoop, which glows in the dark, and falls and rises with the tide.
The sculpture, paid for by the St David’s shopping centre as part of a £1.5m public art scheme in the city centre, was installed in the space between the new mall and Cardiff Central Library
Cardiff Central Library
Cardiff Central Library , is the main library in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. Four buildings have been named as such, with the newest building opening on 14 March 2009 and officially being opened a few months later on 18 June 2009 by the Manic Street Preachers...
.
Hayes Apartments
Hayes Apartments, is part of St David's regeneration development by St David's Partnership - a joint venture between Land Securities and Capital Shopping Centres. It consists of 304 apartments above the shopping centre in seven blocks known as phases. The apartments are a mixture of studio flats and 1 and 2 bedroom apartments. The architects for the residential Hayes Apartments were Glenn Howells ArchitectsGlenn Howells
Glenn Howells is a British born architect. His practice, Glenn Howells Architects, has offices in Birmingham and London. Howells founded his practice in London in 1990 but later moved the main office to Birmingham in 1992....
. Hayes Apartments has private courtyard gardens designed by Hyland Edgar Driver and planted above the rooftop of the shopping centre.
In summer 2010, the first residents moved into Hayes Apartments which was launched by an outdoor garden party on the development's private courtyard gardens. Sales in the first two phases were announced as completed at the end of 2010 and sales began in the third phase, block 4, which is the largest block. The development is due for completion in 2012.
Logos and identity
Johnson Banks Design Ltd were commissioned by Capital Shopping CentresCapital Shopping Centres
Capital Shopping Centres Group plc is a United Kingdom-based Real Estate Investment Trust , largely focused on shopping centre management and development. Formerly named Liberty International plc, it changed its name to that of its major subsidiary in May 2010 after demerging its Capital & Counties...
and Land Securities to provide a new logo and identity for the new St. David's shopping centre.
The overall identity is based on the thought that hundreds of thousands of people will gather and use the new centre as their meeting place, and our "people" diagrams swiftly became the beginnings of the entire scheme...The "people", simplified down to dots, become the linking element in a scheme that applies across a vast array of items, from fonts to symbols and images.
—Johnson Banks, the logo designers
Air Design Ltd were commissioned to provide signage, environmental graphics and to design the new website for St David's,
www.stdavidscardiff.com.See also
- List of shopping arcades in Cardiff
- List of shopping centres in the United Kingdom
- List of the largest shopping centres in the United Kingdom by size
External links
51°28′51"N 3°10′32"W