Eagle Centre
Encyclopedia
Westfield Derby is a large indoor shopping centre in centre of Derby
, UK
, jointly owned by Westfield
and Hermes.
, Debenhams
and Sainsbury's. There is also a cinema, named the Cinema de Lux
, in the centre. It has three car parks and is a few minutes' walk away from both Derby's bus
and railway stations.
The UK's largest indoor market, the Eagle Market, adjoins the centre. The market and Derby Theatre (which is accessed through the market) were considered to be part of the centre when it was known as The Eagle Centre. When the centre was expanded and renamed in 2007 (see below), the market — which is owned by Derby City Council and not Westfield or Hermes — did not take on the new Westfield name; instead it slightly changed its name from the Eagle Centre Market to simply the Eagle Market and introduced its own branding, distinct from both the former Eagle Centre's and Westfield's, making itself distinct from the shopping centre for the first time.
A much smaller indoor shopping precinct, St Peter's Way, is also physically connected to Westfield Derby, with customers able to seamlessly walk between the two.
On the 3rd December, 2010, a fire caused thousands of shoppers to be evacuated from the building. This stemmed from the car park.
On 12 September 2011, a suspicious package believed to be an explosive was found inside the center and caused a total evacuation of the center, and neerby roads to be closed. The Army bomb squad were called in and procedded with a controlled explosion.
The centre's market was rebuilt in 1990 and the entire centre was refurbished in 1999.
A £340m extension to the Eagle Centre was opened on October 9, 2007 by TV celebrity Tess Daly
.The extension sits on the site of the former Castlefields Main Centre, a dilapidated outdoor shopping centre already owned by Westfield. The extension doubled the size of the centre 51,559 m² (554,981 ft²) to 106,130 m² (1,142,383 ft²) http://westfield.com/eaglecentre/centreupgrade/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.html. As well as adding many new retailers, the extension also houses an 800-seat foodcourt including a KFC outlet., a £30m twelve-screen Cinema de Lux and even more car parking facilities. Many retailers, including Debenhams
, Marks and Spencers and Republic, closed their existing Derby stores to move to bigger stores in the extension. When the extension opened, the Eagle Centre was renamed to 'Westfield Derby' (in line with other Westfield shopping centres).
The number of shops moving into Westfield Derby has led to concerns that parts of Derby city centre may become a ghost town
, with few shops remaining outside the centre.
This has proved true with a recent report placing Derby as the worst urban centre in the UK for empty shop units. The rate of occupancy across the city stands at almost 22%.
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, UK
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...
, jointly owned by Westfield
The Westfield Group
The Westfield Group is an Australian shopping centre group undertaking ownership, development, design, construction, funds/asset management, property management, leasing and marketing activities...
and Hermes.
Overview
Westfield Derby contains around 200 shops, a supermarket, a cinema and many eateries. The largest stores are Next, Marks & SpencerMarks & 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...
, 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...
and Sainsbury's. There is also a cinema, named the Cinema de Lux
Cinema de Lux
Cinema de Lux is a chain of cinemas in the United States and the United Kingdom, owned by Showcase Cinemas, which in turn is owned by National Amusements. Cinema de Lux aims to be more upmarket and luxurious than Showcase.-History:...
, in the centre. It has three car parks and is a few minutes' walk away from both Derby's bus
Derby Bus Station
Derby Bus Station serves the city of Derby, Derbyshire, England.The original bus station was the first purpose-built bus station in the United Kingdom. Designed by Charles Herbert Aslin, the Borough Architect, it opened in 1933. It was the first of its kind in the world, with railway-style platforms...
and railway stations.
The UK's largest indoor market, the Eagle Market, adjoins the centre. The market and Derby Theatre (which is accessed through the market) were considered to be part of the centre when it was known as The Eagle Centre. When the centre was expanded and renamed in 2007 (see below), the market — which is owned by Derby City Council and not Westfield or Hermes — did not take on the new Westfield name; instead it slightly changed its name from the Eagle Centre Market to simply the Eagle Market and introduced its own branding, distinct from both the former Eagle Centre's and Westfield's, making itself distinct from the shopping centre for the first time.
A much smaller indoor shopping precinct, St Peter's Way, is also physically connected to Westfield Derby, with customers able to seamlessly walk between the two.
On the 3rd December, 2010, a fire caused thousands of shoppers to be evacuated from the building. This stemmed from the car park.
On 12 September 2011, a suspicious package believed to be an explosive was found inside the center and caused a total evacuation of the center, and neerby roads to be closed. The Army bomb squad were called in and procedded with a controlled explosion.
History
The centre opened as The Eagle Centre on November 20, 1975 at a cost of £7,000,000. Several streets of terraced housing built in the early 1820s were demolished to make way for the new centre, including a street called Eagle Street, hence the name of the new development.The centre's market was rebuilt in 1990 and the entire centre was refurbished in 1999.
A £340m extension to the Eagle Centre was opened on October 9, 2007 by TV celebrity Tess Daly
Tess Daly
Helen Elizabeth "Tess" Daly is an English television presenter. She is married to the presenter Vernon Kay.-Early life:Daly was born in Derbyshire to Vivian , who died of emphysema, and Sylvia Daly...
.The extension sits on the site of the former Castlefields Main Centre, a dilapidated outdoor shopping centre already owned by Westfield. The extension doubled the size of the centre 51,559 m² (554,981 ft²) to 106,130 m² (1,142,383 ft²) http://westfield.com/eaglecentre/centreupgrade/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.html. As well as adding many new retailers, the extension also houses an 800-seat foodcourt including a KFC outlet., a £30m twelve-screen Cinema de Lux and even more car parking facilities. Many retailers, including 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 and Spencers and Republic, closed their existing Derby stores to move to bigger stores in the extension. When the extension opened, the Eagle Centre was renamed to 'Westfield Derby' (in line with other Westfield shopping centres).
Popularity
Previously, the Eagle Centre attracted 19,000,000 shoppers a year, which has been predicted to rise to around 26,000,000 visitors following the extension opening.The number of shops moving into Westfield Derby has led to concerns that parts of Derby city centre may become a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
, with few shops remaining outside the centre.
This has proved true with a recent report placing Derby as the worst urban centre in the UK for empty shop units. The rate of occupancy across the city stands at almost 22%.