Westfield gets more than 50% leased at Bradford

Footwear retailer Barratts has signed up, marking its return to the city, and mobile phone shops Vodafone and T-Mobile have taken 1,523 sq ft and 893 sq ft respectively.

The national leasing launch took place at the end of last month and the scheme is already in excess of 50% leased by area.

Retailers already committed include Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, Next, Topshop/Topman, Evans, Wallis, Dorothy Perkins, Burton, Miss Selfridge, River Island and Beaverbrooks.

David Slade, director of leasing at Westfield, said: ‘There is a huge under-supply of quality retail in the city - with a future market potential of more than £1 billion this is an exciting prospect for any retailer and, with more than half of the scheme’s area either exchanged or in solicitors hands, retailers are starting to realise that this one of the best regional city centre opportunities in the current market.’

Michael Ziff, Chairman and CEO of Stylo - the Barratt parent company and chairman of the Bradford Regeneration Company, said: ‘As many people will know, we are a local company and several years ago we had to close our store in the city. This scheme gives us the chance to come back to Bradford and, as a member of the local community, I am extremely excited about the future of this city. The scheme is pivotal in the success of the future of the city, we hope to be trading in the new centre by 2010.’

Westfield Bradford will create 587,714 sq ft of retail with more than 100 shops and a 800 seat foodcourt plus homes and offices with 1,750 car parking spaces.