Union Square Shopping Centre
Encyclopedia
Union Square is a shopping centre located in the centre of Aberdeen
, Scotland
, which opened to the public on Thursday, 29 October 2009. The centre contains a covered shopping mall
and retail park
.
Following delays, the developer Hammerson
began construction of Union Square in 2007. Costing £250 million, it is one of the largest city centre shopping developments in the United Kingdom
and the second largest in Scotland after Glasgow
's Buchanan Galleries
, with a total retail space of 700000 square feet (65,032.1 m²).
Located on Guild Street and Market Street, the development adjoins onto the side of Aberdeen railway station
and new bus station
creating a transport hub. The mall houses more than 60 shops, over fifteen restaurants, a ten screen 2,300 seat Cineworld
cinema (the largest in Aberdeen) and a 3-star Jurys Inn hotel with 203 rooms. The hotel opened on 4 September 2009. More than 40 shops were trading on opening day and this number rose to around 50 by Christmas, with many other retailers opening in 2010 and into 2011.
Monday - Friday 9:00am – 8:00pm
Saturday 9:00am – 7:00pm
Sunday Between 10:00am and 11:00am opening - 5:00pm (Depending on the store)
Dining:
Monday - Sunday 11:00am – 11:00pm
The centre is open daily from 6:30am to allow pedestrian access to the bus and train stations and remains open until the early hours of the morning (due to the cinema's late opening hours).
12:30am Monday - Thursday
2:00am Friday - Saturday
12:30am Sunday
1999
2000
2001
2002/2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
September 2008
November 2008
February 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
Opening Soon:
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, which opened to the public on Thursday, 29 October 2009. The centre contains a covered shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
and retail park
Retail park
In the United Kingdom, a retail park is a grouping of many retail warehouses and superstores with associated car parking. Its North American equivalent is a power centre. Retail parks are found on the fringes of most large towns and cities in highly accessible locations and are aimed at households...
.
Following delays, the developer Hammerson
Hammerson
Hammerson plc is a major British property development and investment company. The firm switched to Real Estate Investment Trust status when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
began construction of Union Square in 2007. Costing £250 million, it is one of the largest city centre shopping developments 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...
and the second largest in Scotland after Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
's Buchanan Galleries
Buchanan Galleries
Buchanan Galleries is a shopping centre located in the central area of Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. Construction began in 1996 and the building opened to the public on 31 March 1999. Costing £250 million, it is one of the largest city centre shopping developments in the United Kingdom,...
, with a total retail space of 700000 square feet (65,032.1 m²).
Located on Guild Street and Market Street, the development adjoins onto the side of Aberdeen railway station
Aberdeen railway station
Aberdeen railway station is the main railway station in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is the busiest railway station in Scotland north of the major cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.- History :...
and new bus station
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
creating a transport hub. The mall houses more than 60 shops, over fifteen restaurants, a ten screen 2,300 seat Cineworld
Cineworld
Cineworld Group plc is a cinema chain operating in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Jersey. The chain consists of 78 cinemas; 76 of which are located in the UK and one each in Ireland and Jersey. It is the second-largest cinema operator in the UK with 801 screens, and the owner of...
cinema (the largest in Aberdeen) and a 3-star Jurys Inn hotel with 203 rooms. The hotel opened on 4 September 2009. More than 40 shops were trading on opening day and this number rose to around 50 by Christmas, with many other retailers opening in 2010 and into 2011.
Opening hours
Shopping:Monday - Friday 9:00am – 8:00pm
Saturday 9:00am – 7:00pm
Sunday Between 10:00am and 11:00am opening - 5:00pm (Depending on the store)
Dining:
Monday - Sunday 11:00am – 11:00pm
The centre is open daily from 6:30am to allow pedestrian access to the bus and train stations and remains open until the early hours of the morning (due to the cinema's late opening hours).
12:30am Monday - Thursday
2:00am Friday - Saturday
12:30am Sunday
Timeline
1998- Stannifer Developments acquired land at Raiths Farm.
1999
- Stannifer Developments enter in to a joint venture agreement with Railtrack Developments Limited and Union Square Developments is formed.
2000
- Union Square Developments secure planning consent for the scheme.
2001
- Hammerson acquire Railtrack Developments and thereby 50% of Union Square Developments.
2002/2003
- Railtrack taken into receivership and Network Rail formed.
2004
- Chelsfield acquire Stannifer and thereby 50% of Union Square Developments.
2005
- Multiplex acquire Chelsfield and thereby 50% of Union Square Developments.
2006
- Hammerson acquires Multiplex’s 50% of Union Square Developments and thereby 100% ownership of the Union Square scheme.
2007
- Union Square Developments lodge an amended planning application for the provision of a hotel and other minor amendments to the scheme.
- Union Square Developments start on site with the construction of the new bus station.
- Union Square Developments complete the construction of the first new rail yard. After circa.150 years the Guild Street site is now no longer a rail yard.
2008
- Union Square Developments complete and handover new bus station to Stagecoach and new state of the art travel centre to First ScotRailFirst ScotRailScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
.
Development/Construction
July 2008- Roof work commences
September 2008
- Completion of structural steelwork
- Cladding work commences
November 2008
- Development weather tight
February 2009
- Hotel shell handover to Jurys Inn
May 2009
- Cinema shell handover to Cineworld
June 2009
- Commencement of unit handovers
July 2009
- Laying of ground level carpark
- Removal of on site portacabins
August 2009
- Public Open Day (Sunday 23 August)
September 2009
- Jurys Inn opens (Friday 4 September)
October 2009
- Scheme completion/opening (Thursday 29 October)
Latest News
- 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...
will be opening a store in Unit GS8 (in between Hollister and Fat Face).
- GreggsGreggsGreggs plc is the largest specialist retail bakery chain in the United Kingdom. It was established in the 1930s as a single shop but has approximately 1,500 outlets....
have now opened in the east mall.
- House of Fraser.comHouse of FraserHouse of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
have now opened in the airtrum in the former Ollie and Nic unit.
- Oriental restaurant CosmoCosmoCosmo may refer to:*Cosmo , a surnameCosmo may also refer to:-Anime:* Cosmo Police Justy, 1985 Japanese anime* Cosmo Ranger, alternate name of the 1982-1983 Japanese anime Baxinger...
will be opening a new eatery in the last vacant unit on the ground floor by the bus station. This is currently in solicitors hand's.
Store Openings
Now Open:- DuneDuneIn physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
- GreggsGreggsGreggs plc is the largest specialist retail bakery chain in the United Kingdom. It was established in the 1930s as a single shop but has approximately 1,500 outlets....
- House of Fraser.comHouse of FraserHouse of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
- Inglot Cosmetics
Opening Soon:
- 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...
- Autumn/Winter 2011 - CosmoCosmoCosmo may refer to:*Cosmo , a surnameCosmo may also refer to:-Anime:* Cosmo Police Justy, 1985 Japanese anime* Cosmo Ranger, alternate name of the 1982-1983 Japanese anime Baxinger...
- TBC
Retail Park
Ground Floor
First Floor
See also
- Retail in Aberdeen
- St Nicholas & Bon Accord
- Trinity Shopping Centre
- The Academy Shopping CentreThe Academy Shopping CentreThe Academy Shopping Centre is located in the main shopping district of Aberdeen, Scotland. As the name suggests, it is a former secondary school renovated into a modern shopping centre....
External links
- Union Square official site
- Union Square Photo Group on FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...