The Bridges

Not to be confused with The Bridge Shopping Centre (Portsmouth).

The Bridges Shopping Centre
The Bridges Shopping Centre pictured in 2016
Map
LocationCity of Sunderland, England
Coordinates54°54′19″N 1°23′04″W / 54.905390°N 1.384500°W / 54.905390; -1.384500
AddressSunderland, SR1 3DR
Opening date1988
ManagementKaren Eve
OwnerHeron (1988-1993)

Land Securities (1993-2014)

AEW Europe (2014-Present)
No. of stores and services79
No. of anchor tenants2 (Primark & TK Maxx)
Total retail floor area598,560 sq ft
Parking900 parking spaces
Websitehttp://www.thebridges-shopping.com/

The Bridges Shopping Centre, commonly known as ‘The Bridges’ is a shopping centre located in Sunderland, England. The centre was opened by Princess Royal, Anne in 1988.[1]

The Bridges in 2020, with most of the stores closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Shops

The center compromises 79 stores, including 2 anchor tenants, Primark and TK Maxx.[2] There are also 9 food outlets on site, ranging from coffee shops to cafes, including a Greggs Cafe & Esquires Coffee branch.

As a result of Debenhams entering administration, their anchor outlet at the center closed in May 2021, which reduced the total number of anchors from 3 to 2.[3]

In December 2021, the supermarket chain Tesco confirmed they would be closing the Tesco Express store located within the center in Summer 2022.[4] The store closed on 2 April 2022.[5]

Car Parking

The shopping center offers over 900 parking spaces in 2 car parks, a multi-story car park, and a rooftop car park.

Both car parks operate with an hourly charge the majority of the time, with the following exceptions: Sundays & Bank Holidays have a single charge for parking during the day (8 AM-6 PM), and free parking is available Thursday Evenings between 5:30 PM & 9:00 PM.

The car park was open 24 hours a day until May 2017.[6]

Ownership

Heron International owned the centre, until it was sold to Land Securities in 1993, for a reported £39 million.[7] A further sale took place in 2014, which resulted in clients of AEW Europe acquiring the centre for £153 million.[8] The centre continues to be owned by AEW Europe at present.

Development

In 2000, the ‘old central bus station’, adjacent to the center was demolished and the land was acquired. This land was used to create a significant expansion that almost doubled the size of the center, and made it fully covered. Previously some areas of the centre were not covered, resulting in the centre having the nickname of ‘Windy City’.[1]

In September 2010, Land Securities announced a £15 million development to build a 3-story (60,000sq ft) Primark store.[9] The store later opened in November 2012.[10]

In May 2020, Next expanded their store by over 4,000sq ft from 10,221sq ft to 14,710sq ft. This was achieved by acquiring an adjoining vacant unit. This allowed them to open a new childrenswear section and expand their existing homewares selection.[11]

Bus

The nearest bus stops to the centre are on Holmside, Green Terrace, & Fawcett Street. Bus services run frequently throughout the North East to these stops near the centre, including the Country Ranger 8/8A/78 from Green Terrace, linking Sunderland to Consett & Stanley in County Durham,[12][13] & the Prince Bishops 20/20A from Holmeside, linking Sunderland to Durham & Langley Park in County Durham, both operated by Go North East, as well as services Stagecoach North East, such as the E1, linking Sunderland to Whitburn & South Shields in Tyne & Wear.[14]

Metro

The nearest metro stations to the centre are Park Lane & Sunderland,[15] which is also the town’s main railway station. Both stations are located less than one mile away, and connecting journeys take 5–10 minutes on foot; and are on the metro's green line.[15] Services on the line serve areas in the north of the city (Seaburn & Boldon), Gateshead & Newcastle. Connections to other areas in the North East can also be made at metro stations such as Haymarket.

References

  1. ^ a b Terry |, Paper (8 May 2013). "Bridges Shopping Centre Sunderland | Old Market Square - Windy City". Wearside Online. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  2. ^ "The 79 stores which will be open at The Bridges in Sunderland from April 12". www.sunderlandecho.com. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Here's when Debenhams store in Sunderland's Bridges will close for the last time". www.sunderlandecho.com. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Supermarket Tesco confirms closure of Bridges Shopping Centre store in Sunderland". www.sunderlandecho.com. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Signs go up and shelves look bare as popular North East Tesco closes this week". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  6. ^ NE33 2NE, Annie's Guest House South Shields (1 June 2017). "The Bridges Sunderland Car Parking Charges". Annie's Guest House Blog. Retrieved 31 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Willcock, John (25 June 1993). "Heron sells shopping centre to Land Securities for pounds 39m". The Independent. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  8. ^ Chronicle, Evening (25 June 2014). "Sunderland shopping centre The Bridges sold for £152m". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Shopping centre set for £15m expansion - Local - Sunderland Echo". Sunderland Echo. 26 September 2010. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Primark's New Store at the Bridges, Sunderland Now Open! – NJSR news". Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Next completes expansion at the Bridges shopping centre in Sunderland". Business News North East. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Country Ranger 8 - Stanley to Sunderland". www.gonortheast.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Country Ranger 78 - Sunderland to Consett". www.gonortheast.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  14. ^ "E1 Sunderland - South Shields" (PDF). Stagecoach North East. 21 November 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Metro Map". Nexus. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.