Edinburgh St James reaches "one year to go" milestone

The countdown to Scotland’s largest retail-led development, Nuveen Real Estate’s 1.7m sq ft Edinburgh St James, has begun with the news that phase one, when most of the retail units will be open, will launch to the public in October 2020.

It is one of the largest and most significant regeneration projects currently underway in the UK. The shopping galleria will open in 2020, including a flagship John Lewis and Next, followed by W Edinburgh Hotel, Roomzzz, and the Everyman Cinema in 2021.

In the last few months a number of new fashion occupiers have been announced. Zara will open a 37,000 sq ft store over three floors, while Bershka, Stradivarius and Pull&Bear will take stores located within the main shopping galleria. Mango will be opening a 5,500 sq ft store opposite Zara, which will be its first Edinburgh store, with 85% of the scheme now contracted or in legals.

Martin Perry, director of development at Edinburgh St James, commented: “With a year to go, it’s extremely exciting to see the significant progress made since starting on site three years ago.

“Edinburgh St James will reflect Edinburgh’s position as a city with a thriving economy and unique appeal, with Mango choosing the city for its first store in Scotland – a testament as to why Edinburgh St James is great for the city. We look forward to making further announcements about progress on site ahead of the first phase of opening in October 2020.”

W Edinburgh

Located within a World Heritage site in the heart of Edinburgh, the project will completely redefine mixed-use regeneration in the UK. Injecting over £1 billion of investment into the city, it will feature 850,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, including 85 new shops and over 30 new restaurants, as well as Edinburgh’s first Everyman Cinema, 152 apartments, a striking 12-storey hotel - W Edinburgh, a 75 room Roomzzz Aparthotel, and three new public squares.

With its 24-hour leisure offering, Edinburgh St James is set to revolutionise and regenerate the city’s East End.