NOTTINGHAM'S flagship shopping mall could stay open well into the evening if its owner gets the go-ahead for a major plan to extend it.
Intu Properties, owner of the Victoria Centre, says that for shopping centres to thrive, they must be able to trade into the evening through a mix of catering and extended shopping hours.
But its plans hinge on gaining planning approval for a major extension of the Victoria Centre on top of the £35m it has already committed to substantial refurbishment of the existing mall.
So far, planning permission has not been forthcoming, with Intu and the city council struggling to reach agreement on the terms of a commitment to redevelop the Broadmarsh Centre before the Victoria Centre's extension.
Intu revealed its ambitions for the future of the Victoria Centre in a stock market trading statement outlining its proposals for a number of malls across the country.
In the statement, Intu said: "Our view is that for a shopping centre to thrive it needs to trade into the evening, providing the extended shopping hours which our customers want and a wider range of catering and entertainment options.
"Our £1 billion pipeline of organic developments over 10 years, including major extensions at intu Lakeside, intu Braehead and intu Victoria Centre, is focused on projects which position each of our centres as broader destinations, providing top retailers and iconic brands along with a mix of leisure."
It referred to its proposals for Nottingham in more detail, suggesting that its plans to extend the Victoria Centre and redevelop Broadmarsh would help Nottingham climb back up the national retail rankings.
"We have released the designs of a major refurbishment of intu Victoria Centre, including impressive new entrances, reconfiguration of space around the central square and new ceilings, flooring and lighting," it said.
"These have been well received both locally and by existing and potential retailers, with several discussions now under way with brands not currently represented in the city. Our planned redevelopment of Broadmarsh, focusing on leisure and catering, followed by the extension of intu Victoria Centre should see Nottingham reclaiming its rightful place in the UK retail hierarchy."
It added that fashion chain Urban Outfitters had just signed up to take space in the Victoria Centre "demonstrating confidence in recently announced refurbishment".
Intu admitted that footfall in its centres had fallen slightly in the first three months of 2013 but said the decline was significantly lower than that measured by Experian across shopping destinations nationally.
Intu announced last month that it had appointed Nottingham property consultancy FHP to jointly market the Victoria Centre.
Ben Tebbutt, a director in the retail and leisure team at FHP, said Intu's plans were crucial to the long-term strength of Nottingham's retail status.
"Intu is one of the most high-profile retail property businesses in the UK, with a portfolio of shopping centres that have almost become a byword for state-of-the-art retail and leisure experiences," he said.
"Anyone who has visited the likes of the Trafford Centre and Lakeside will appreciate the depth of its expertise and the scale of its vision, and the fact that it's investing in not one but two locations in Nottingham demonstrates both its commitment to the city and the potential the city has.
"Intu has already announced a plan to invest £35m giving intu Victoria Centre a new look, and we know from the conversations we've had with retailers that this has been seen as a very positive sign.
"Retail is a dynamic environment and destinations like Nottingham have to be seen to respond to the changing nature of the economy. People look for great shopping destinations where they can spend time and enjoy themselves and that is what Intu is an acknowledged expert at delivering."
