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Business Aspects of Bluewater
Development I would like to write about the most
exciting retail and biggest shopping centre in the UK. The lecturer (N. R. Berger)
recommended to me to write about Business Aspects of Bluewater Development. This aspect is
suitable to me, since I have already studied civil engineering. I have done research on
the computer about Bluewater, which is the Europe’s most innovative retail and
leisure destination. I have discovered the centre of architecturally interests and the
construction achievement can be seen. I am going to use the step analysis for introducing
Bluewater. The step analysis First internal factors which means how was centre financed,
what were the aims and construction methods. Second
external factors, which are, formed by social, technical, economic and political. Bluewater, the newest of Europe’s
shopping centre, is considered the most attractive in the UK. The Bluewater is located
between Dartfort and Gravesend in the north-west of Kent. Bluewater, the largest shopping
centre in the UK (154,000sq), is seen as attractive because it is one of the last of its kind. The biggest shopping
centre opened their doors on Tuesday March 16 but no opening ceremony was planned. Bluewater was designed by Mr E. Kuhne. He is
architecture works in Texan. Also, there are not like this centre many anywhere. It has 320 shops, 40 restaurant, cafes and bars, a
fishing lake, a winter garden. Bluewater was built by Australian company Lend Lease. Bluewater aims to offer visitors a
complete day out in a safe, pleasant and high quality environment. It is a shopping centre
for people who hate shopping and for people who can do nothing else. The Suzy Lamplugh
Trust has been consulted on security issues. Fresh air is brought in through rotating
aluminium vents on roofs using a design based on oasthouses. There will be an on-site
police station with six officers on duty. The centre is surrounded by attractive parkland,
which includes seven lakes, a million trees and shrubs.
Visitors can walk on the ground, cycle around the park, go fishing, boating and
picnicking on the grounds. Bluewater is a leisure and entertainment experience with a
variety of retailers. Also Bluewater is a
shopping city for people. “You could shop here for five years and still be noticing
something that you have not seen before ”said Heather Leth –bridge from
Heaxable. Bluewater is the most innovative retail
development. E. R.Kuhne and associates make many practices in the projects to keep exact
dimensions. The bluewater centre has been constructed like a triangle and produced three
malls shopping at each corner of the triangle. Furthermore, each corner of the triangle
designs unique. The most complex mall design has a series of 11-domed vaults. Because of
the scale and the three dimensional geometry, construction of this mall was demanding in
the extreme. The roofs of malls have been covered with a shimmering expanse of aluminium.
The design team had a difficulty while constructing these roofs result from the aluminium
roofs, the glazed sections, tapered sheets and areas, which are, curved and tapered to
exact dimensions. The bluewater was developed by Lend
Lease and Financial services organisation based in Sydney, Australia. Bluewater is
expected to attract thirty million visitors a year. Nearly 20% of Britain’s
population (10 million people) are expected to spend about £5,5 million at the Bluewater
shops. Nearly ten million people live within an hour’s drive of the site. Bluewater
has become its destination. However, Bluewater’s own study of the first months of
opening finds that shoppers stay on average for just over three hours and that more than
20 percent of visitors had abandoned the West End in favour of the centre. More than 10
percent of shoppers in the survey lived more than an hour away, while nearly half of those
inter-viewed had already visited two or three times since the opening. Most popular items
were designer clothes, household goods and electrical items. Because of the depths of massive chalk
pit has emerged the dramatic form of the £350 million Bluewater centre. There are many
investors to the Bluewater centre such as Lend Lease Global Investment Plc., Prudential
Assurance Co Ltd., Lloyds Leasing Ltd., Royal Bank Leasing Ltd., Barclays Mercantile
Business Finance Ltd. Is there life after Bluewater, not just
for Lakeside but for the vulnerable town centres in its immediate catchment area? Lakeside
is a centre with a huge variety of store. Lakeside managers appear unfaced by
Bluewater’s arrival and insist the customers will decide. In addition,
Lakeside’s marketing manager thought that “One is new and one is established
– the customer will decide. In addition, 15 percent of the Lakeside’s customer
come from Kent. Lakeside would suffer because of this
percentage. The shopkeepers in the local town admit hitting of the Bluewater
effects to them. Lakeside has not been unduly affected. Although Bluewater lies only 10
minutes away from the other side of the Dartford tunnel. Moreover, the retailers have
outperformed of their expectations. However, the council has invested £5 million on the
city centre, upgrading car parks, improving lights, paving, and street furniture. There is
a high level of confidence and new shops are moving in. A huge investment has been made in
creating and improving public transport links and also free parking facilities are
available for 13000 cars. Bluewater is about 5 kilometres outside the boundary of Greater
London and 35 kilometres from the centre of London. Bluewater is close to the main road
from London to Dover (A2) and London orbital motorway (M25). Transport links has been
developed with local transport companies. Work started on the site in the spring
of 1996 to transform what was a disused chalk quarry of 240 acres. Some 5000 people were
employed directly and indirectly in the centre. During the construction period the side
employed around 1000 people, rising to 3000 at its peak. Bluewater, with its 154000 sq.
metres of space, was launched in the spring of 1999, after the 3 years construction
period. Bluewater has been constructed like a triangle. At each corner of the unique
triangular plan of Bluewater sits three department store: John Lewis, Mark&Spencer and
House of Fraser. These three anchors are connected to the shopping malls by
forecounts-ground rooms for the retailers, shoppers and visitors. Furthermore, the
villages spill the shopping environment out
into the landscape. There are three villages: the east village is the Winter Garden, the
Botanical Garden Dining Room, Children’s Creche and outdoor playing area built for
families. The west village is the Steeplechase Square with its café society and exquisite
food, entertainment, retail and hospitality. The south village is the Samples, centre of
all the media, information, education entertainment and visual spectacles.
In conclusion, Although Bluewater is like something from another planet, it will
lose its attraction after discovered by visitors. The number of visitors to Bluewater will
be affected by new shopping centres in the future. This project cannot be suitable for
Turkey since it is very expensive to construct such a big shopping centre. Moreover,
owners cannot manage or expect visitors from the other countries as many as its catchment
area of the centre. London is the most popular capital city in the world and Bluewater
very near to London because of its position owners can expect foreign visitors. On the
other hand, Istanbul is not popular as much as London. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. http:/www.hoogovens.co.uk/projects/blwater.htm 2. http:/civiart.com/projects/bluewater/bw-index/bwbot2.html |