Merseyway Shopping Centre is a shopping precinct in Stockport, England. Opened in 1965, and extensively refurbished in the 1990s, it is a large pedestrianised area built on stilts over the River Mersey with two levels of walkways giving access to the retail units. Merseyway is mostly an open air precinct, although the western end near Mersey Square was given a canopy in the 1990s and is now a small enclosed mall. The developers Hammerson owned the centre until 2003 when they sold the leasehold to property company Stockport Holdings Ltd., owned by the Jersey-based Halabi family trust. In 2009, the centre was placed into receivership. The anchor stores are Debenhams and Primark, with approximately 85 other retailers. To the south and east of the centre are the Peel Centre and the towns' historic market. Stockport attracts about 14 million visitors per year, making it a prominent shopping destination in the Greater Manchester Urban Area. Its catchment covers affluent areas of north Cheshire and south Manchester, competing with other major retail destinations in the area such as Manchester city centre, Ashton-under-Lyne and the Trafford Centre. The centre also hosts numerous promotional events at Christmas and throughout the year.
Location
The centre's name, Merseyway, comes from the fact that the centre is built on giant stilts above the River Mersey and the river runs for the entire length of the centre. In 2001, there were plans to fit glass panels to the pavements within the centre to reveal the River Mersey underneath, this was a plan to try to boost tourism in the town as the river is entirely covered and hidden while it runs under the centre. However, there has been no development of these plans. In 2015, a section of pavement at the junction of Tiviot Dale and Warren Street was opened up allowing pedestrians a view of the river running under a reconstructed archway.
History
The centre was opened in 1965, as one of the first shopping precincts in the United Kingdom. Since then, it has undergone considerable development. In the 1990s, Merseyway was extensively refurbished including the creation a new area of covered mall at the western edge of the centre facing onto Mersey Square.
In administration
In February 2009, the centre was placed into the hands of receivers, the directors of GVA Grimley, due to the owners, placing the centre into administration. This statement appeared on the centre's website on 16 February 2009; The directors of GVA Grimley have stressed that the centre will continue to trade as normal and all retailers have been notified of the status, they have also said that in the current economic situation they will not seek to sell the centre, they will continue to run the centre and build upon its potential alongside the local authority and under current management DTZ.
Retailers
There are around 100 tenants altogether in the centre, consisting of around five large department-type stores, which act as the principal anchors, alongside many more national chain stores. Stores include Primark, Boots, W.H. Smith, River Island, HMV, Deichmann, McDonald's and Argos. Debenhams also have a department store in adjacent Princes Street. Independent traders locate themselves in the adjacent streets, such as Princes Street, the Underbanks and the Market Place. To the immediate east of the centre are two of the town's main supermarkets, Sainsbury's and Asda. A large Tesco Extra store is located within walking distance on the opposite side of the M60 motorway. Retail developments competing for similar tenants have sprung up around the centre, these include The Peel Centre, the Courts Shopping Centre and the planned Bridgefield development. Additionally some of the more traditional shopping streets such as Hillgate play host to independent retailers due to lower rents, as well as a small collection of national chain stores.
Transport links
The centre is easily accessible by car, from junctions 26, 27 or 1 of the M60 motorway, via the A6 from Manchester or Buxton. There is extensive parking at the centre with a multi-storey carpark spread over a large area, containing 835 spaces and 31 disabled spaces. Additionally there is much more parking surrounding the centre. The town's bus station is located directly opposite the western edge of the centre, and close to the bus station, up the hill is Stockport railway station, which is accessible via the A6 or via a walkway from the bus station to the railway station.
Future development
The adjacent area to the north of the centre has been developed from an easy to access ground level carpark for the Mersey Way Precinct, into a leisure complex, called Redrock, which opened in November 2017. Redrock is anchored by a cinema, The Light, accompanied by four catering vendors and a gymnasium. The eateries consist of one coffee shop, an Italian restaurant, a pizza vendor, and a cafe. It replaces some of the facilities previously provided at the short lived "Grand Central" development adjacent to Stockport Railway Station, which has since been demolished to become high rise housing and offices. RedRock ignominiously winning the "2018 Carbuncle Cup" for Britain's ugliest new building. In 2019, plans have been submitted for a multi-million pound redevelopment of Merseyway Shopping Centre which include; improved parking facilities, new centre entrance and facade, improved public services and more. These plans can be viewed on the Stockport Council website.
