Three top stores have signed up to long-term stays in a big boost for Lincoln’s Waterside centre.
H&M, Next and The Body Shop have all said they see a successful future at Waterside and want to be part of the centre for years to come.
Fashion and homeware retailer H&M has said committed to a further 15 years at Waterside and is also investing in a major revamp to give the centre’s biggest store a new look, feel and customer experience.
Next and The Body Shop have also both signed up for a further five years.
The 130,000sq ft centre features leading retailers, including H&M, Next, The Body Shop, New Look, Superdrug, O2, Office and Skechers, with luxury lifestyle brand Rituals due to open soon.
Waterside has been rejuvenated after the centre was bought by joint venture partners Lincolnshire Co-op and leading property development and investment business Wykeland Group in June 2023. Since then the owners have invested £3m to make Waterside a more attractive destination for locals and visitors to Lincoln.
Waterside centre manager Mary-Jane Booth said: “H&M, Next and The Body Shop all signing up for years to come is brilliant news. It’s a triple boost for Waterside and our customers and means local people and visitors to Lincoln can be sure that three of their favourite stores are staying put.
“We all know that some retailers are looking to reduce their high street presence in other places, but, here at Waterside and in Lincoln city centre, we’re bucking the trend.
“We’re seeing big retail stores happy to stay and exciting new arrivals, including luxury lifestyle brand Rituals, which is due to open soon.”
The changes at Waterside have included the creation of a new coffee shop, now operated by the independent operator Seven Districts Coffee.
An attractive and welcoming frontage to the centre from High Street is also being created, along the scenic River Witham. This will enable shoppers and visitors to flow more easily from the riverside into the centre and across the river into the Cornhill Quarter.
Waterside has also had a rebrand to create a modern, youthful look and feel.
The next development will see H&M and Waterside’s owners jointly investing in a £2m refit of the H&M store. Work on the transformation is due to begin at the end of this month and be carried out on a floor-by-floor basis to minimise disruption and ensure the store will remain open to shoppers throughout the facelift.
Among other investments at Waterside, frontages on a number of smaller units at the centre are being revamped and £60,000 is being invested to refurbish the centre’s customer toilets.
