The Mall at Cribbs Causeway is the largest of its kind in the South West. In 2023 the out of town shopping centre added a number of retail outlets to its offering of over 100 shops.
Victoria's Secret, Greggs, and Clogau joined the likes of Marks & Spencer, Apple, Waterstones, Build-a-Bear Workshop, Boots and dozens more. The three retail brands took a combined 9,670 sq ft of space at the centre, which is jointly owned by Intu, M&G Real Estate and JT Baylis.
Speaking to BusinessLive , head of marketing Lizzie Taylor said: “As our range of stores has continued to grow, so too has the wide variety of products our shoppers come to Cribbs for.
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“Fashion for all ages will always be a mainstay, but this year we’ve seen a strong growth in menswear particularly. Shoppers have continued to look to us as a hub for watches and jewellery and the beauty brands are popular than ever,”
These trends Ms Taylor expects will continue into the new year. She told us that Cribbs Mall is already working with British womenswear brand Phase Eight, which is due to open its new larger store in 2024. Plus the out of town shopping centre is in talks with several other retailers who are interested in taking space.
As challenging economic conditions remained prevalent throughout 2023, it is positive that Cribbs “enjoyed one of its busiest years to date”, with total visitor numbers “looking likely to reach around 11 million” by December 31.
Ms Taylor said: “Over the next 12 months we will be looking at ways in which we can further improve Cribbs Mall to continue meeting current and future retail and dining trends. This ranges from supporting our retailers with store upgrades to increasing the provision of electrical (EV) charging points across the centre to help encourage more sustainable travel.”
'Footfall at Cribbs Mall has seen a strong growth against 2022'
Sustainability is the big trend that Cribbs expects to see in 2024 as shoppers consider their purchases and travel more poignantly.
“As retail technology continues to evolve, we look forward to seeing the integration of this in more of our physical stores,” said Ms Taylor. “Interactive displays, try-before-you-buy mirrors, and enhanced self-check-outs will help to provide ‘friction free’ and more personalised shopping.”
Although more people choose to shop online “people are continuing to visit the shopping centres, which offer a good tenant mix”.
Ms Taylor said: “Over the past year, footfall at Cribbs Mall has seen a strong growth against 2022 thanks to our variety of retail brands including popular outlets such as John Lewis, M&S, JD and Next, as well as the arrival of several big names including Victoria’s Secret, Greggs and Charles Tyrwhitt.
“Cribbs Mall also benefits from neighbouring leisure attractions, such as Vue Cinema, Hollywood Bowl, Ninja Warrior, and the relocated Bristol Zoo, all of which are attracting people from across the region to Cribbs Mall and the wider Cribbs Causeway area.”
In addition, the new Brabazon development is well underway by the mall. The new city borough, to be called ‘Brabazon’, will contain 2,675 homes ranging in size from one bedroom flats to four bedroom houses.
Ms Taylor added: “The arrival of major residential communities in the Cribbs Causeway area will further benefit Cribb’s Mall appeal to existing and new retailers as we anticipate that this will further increase footfall at the centre. We hope to work closely with the developer of the Brabazon site to help ensure these new communities can benefit from the offer available at Cribbs Mall.”
