£60 Million refurbishment of Meadowhall complete

Following a two-year programme, Laing O’Rourke has reached practical completion on the £60 million refurbishment of Meadowhall for British Land.

The extensive transformation, which was largely carried out during night-shifts to minimise disruption to shoppers and retailers, saw Laing O’Rourke create four districts, each with a distinctive character and offer.

Columns and bulkheads have been reduced or removed creating lighter, brighter malls, with new glazing and improved lighting and new customer seating added. The relocation of the centre’s mechanical and electrical systems has enabled retailers, including All Saints and Hollister, to introduce double height flagship formats. Others, such as Primark, River Island and Sports Direct to name but a few, upsized or increased their brand presence.

Mark Lazenby, Project Leader at Laing O’Rourke describes the challenges involved in extensive refurbishment within a live retail environment.

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Charles Maudsley, Head of Retail, Leisure and Residential for British Land, added: “The transformation we have achieved at Meadowhall is a great example of how we have listened to our customers and responded to their needs. It also demonstrates the value we place in working in partnership with the community to deliver significant, long-lasting benefits to the Sheffield City Region.”

Through the transformation, Laing O’Rourke worked in partnership with British Land and has delivered a range of benefits for the Sheffield City Region:

• Over 1,200 jobs were created to deliver the refurbishment, with 35% of the workforce living in Sheffield and 41% overall from the Sheffield City Region
• Almost 50% of the £60 million spend has been awarded to SMEs
• 70% of the project spend was made within 25 miles of Meadowhall, with 55% being spent in the Sheffield City Region
• Local companies employed on the transformation include Dearneside, SCS Group, EE Ingleton Engineering, Clearline, EMR and the Ron Hull Group.