// New 65,000sq ft Frasers store has been confirmed for Meadowhall shopping centre, Sheffield
// It’s the first major site signed since Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group announced plans for Frasers
// First phase to open early winter 2020, with the project expected to be complete by spring 2021
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group is to open a new Frasers store in Sheffield next year, marking the first major signing since plans for the department store fascia were recently unveiled.
The new “landmark” 65,000sq ft Frasers store, to be located within Meadowhall shopping centre, is slated to open in winter this year, and the project is expected to be complete by spring 2021.
The store will sell luxury fashion and lifestyle items across two levels, featuring an accessories hall, street and trend-led ready-to-wear areas, an interactive Frasers House for homewares, and a partner-led champagne bar and café.
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Frasers Group told Retail Gazette that the new Frasers store will replace its existing two-storey House of Fraser site at Meadowhall.
Frasers is the luxury offshoot of House of Fraser, which Sports Direct acquired in August 2018 in a £90 million pre-pack administration deal.
When Sports Direct officially rebranded to Frasers Group last December, speculation had been rife for several months that Mike Ashley’s company was eyeing up to seven House of Fraser stores to be converted into Frasers, as part of his ambitions to turn the embattled department store chain into “the Harrods of the high street”.
Currently, the House of Fraser flagship in Glasgow operates under the Frasers name, which will be developed into the new flagship site of the upmarket fascia.
Belfast, Liverpool and Wolverhampton have also been confirmed as sites for new Frasers stores.
However, the Meadowhall site is the first to be announced since plans for the Frasers fascia were officially revealed around the time Sports Direct rebranded to Frasers Group.
Phase one of Frasers Meadowhall is due to open to the public early winter this year, offering men’s and women’s fashion, premium accessories, footwear, ready-to-wear and Frasers House.
It will also mark the opening of a beauty hall complete with cocktail bar and café, alongside brand pop-ups, wellness services and treatment rooms, as well as masterclasses and new product showcases.
The second phase – opening spring next year – will mark the arrival of Frasers Group’s multi-brand luxury fashion retailer Flannels within the store.
Frasers Group currently operates 45 Flannels stores across the UK, including a recently-opened London flagship on Oxford Street.
“[Frasers Meadowhall] is the first major site signed since announcing our plans for Frasers and we’re proud to have acquired such a prominent location in one of the most forward-thinking schemes in the UK,” Frasers Group head of elevation Michael Murray said.
“We’re committed to delivering an aspirational new store that will epitomise the exciting future of Frasers, as we look to move forward with opportunities – including the progression of our flagship site in Glasgow, as well as new Frasers stores in Belfast and Liverpool.”
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