Victoria Square Woking Limited (VSWL) has completed the first phase of Victoria Place, the £570m transformation of part of Woking town centre, with the opening of a flagship Boots.
The new 27,500 sq ft Boots has been developed with the brand’s ‘Store of the Future’ elements, featuring innovative lighting and flooring, as well as a rehydration station and new in queue merchandising (IQM) system.
The store features a wider range of products and beauty counters, including NO7, Clinique, The Ordinary, Bumble and Bumble, Benefit and Liz Earle. In addition, a pharmacy with two consultation rooms provides vaccination services such as travel vaccines, Meningitis, HPV, Malaria and flu. The store also includes an opticians and offers a click and collect service as well as instore photo printing.
Boots relocated to Peacocks to help facilitate the construction of Victoria Place. Future additions to the Victoria Place line-up include Big Apple Bowl, a 14-lane 26,500-sq ft leisure destinations, and Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, a 46,800-sq ft academy offering a range of courses in musical theatre, acting and dance.
Victoria Place will open in September 2021, comprising 125,000 sq ft of new retail floorspace including a 50,000 sq ft Marks and Spencer, fit-out of which begins in March next year.
Complementing the retail offering, Victoria Square also includes a 22-storey 189-bed four-star Hilton Hotel, 429 residential apartments in two towers of 30 and 34 storeys, a new restaurant unit on Commercial Way and space for a medical centre. In addition, the development will bring two new public plazas and an additional 284 parking spaces to the destination.
Councillor Ayesha Azad, Leader of Woking Borough Council, commented: “The opening of phase one of Victoria Place is a major milestone and a marker of the momentum being enjoyed by Woking. Today’s news highlights the enduring appeal of Woking, and the Council’s commitment to work with its partners to ensure the long-term vibrancy of the Borough.”
Peter Robinson, Managing Director of Moyallen, added: “The new Boots store is a fantastic addition to Woking Shopping’s line-up that also heralds the completion of the first phase of a development that will transform the town centre. Victoria Place is a new-generation of development that successfully integrates a range of uses to create a thriving community and positive, long-term contribution to the local economy.”
Victoria Square Woking Limited is a joint venture between Moyallen and Woking Borough Council.
