Marks and Spencer, Costa Coffee, and WHSmith, have become the first major retailers to take space in the new £5 million ‘Welcome Centre’ at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
When it opens in December, the Centre will provide approximately 873 m2 of retail space in an improved, glass-fronted entry point that will also include enhanced wayfinding and reception services. Capita Symonds has designed the centre, and project managed the initial stages of construction, on behalf of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. The company also provided property advice, including running the marketing campaign to find and select retailers, and arranged for Costa Coffee and WHSmith kiosks to provide temporary services while the construction works take place. The Trust is also leasing retail space to a specialist fashion clothing and accessories retailer, Stock Shop. The Welcome Centre’s financial model, also developed by Capita Symonds, is funded through the income derived from the retail operations, to ensure the full benefits of the scheme are retained by the Trust and the community.
