Silverburn Shopping Centre
An out-of-town shopping and leisure centre in Pollok, Glasgow, Scotland.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Silverburn Shopping Centre, generally known as Silverburn, is a large out-of-town retail and leisure destination on Barrhead Road in Pollok, Glasgow. It occupies the site of the former Pollok Centre, a retail development dating from the late 1970s, and opened to the public on 25 October 2007. The centre was developed as a major replacement for the earlier facility, creating a substantially larger destination with national retailers, food and beverage operators, extensive surface and multistorey parking, and direct road access from the M77 motorway. The original development was delivered by Retail Property Holdings Ltd. The completed centre was designed by BDP, with Stuart McTaggart responsible for civil and structural engineering, Henderson Warnock providing mechanical, electrical and utility consultancy, and Bovis Lend Lease undertaking construction. Its initial retail plan comprised approximately 95 shopping units and 14 restaurants and cafés. The broader development has been described in different sources using varying measurements, including roughly 1.5 million square feet for the overall centre and approximately one million square feet of retail and leisure space. It includes about 2,000 spaces in a multistorey car park and approximately 2,500 additional ground-level spaces. A Tesco Extra store opened on the site on 10 July 2006, before the main centre was completed. It replaced the Tesco store in the former Pollok Centre and was described as Scotland’s largest Tesco Extra at the time. Silverburn’s environmental design was notable for its use of natural ventilation, including wind catchers, together with underfloor heating. The centre’s name was reportedly selected through local consultation and is associated with the nearby Brock Burn. Silverburn’s tenant mix has included large department-store and supermarket anchors as well as fashion, footwear, beauty, homeware, jewellery, technology, food and leisure businesses. Key occupiers identified in reference material include Tesco, Next, Marks & Spencer, Zara, JD Sports, Molton Brown, The White Company, H&M, Kurt Geiger, Pandora and Hugo Boss. Debenhams was also an anchor tenant before the chain’s department stores closed in 2021. Zara’s Silverburn location has been described as the largest Zara store in Scotland and as one of the retailer’s flagship locations in the country. An expansion programme began in 2013 and was completed in stages from late 2014 to mid-2015. It added a Cineworld cinema and nine restaurants, broadening Silverburn from a primarily retail destination into a more substantial shopping, dining and leisure complex. Further proposals announced in 2014 and 2015 considered extending the development across existing car-parking areas and, potentially, across the M77, with additional retail and leisure space, a hotel and a community centre. The available reference material does not establish that all of those later proposals were completed. The centre is positioned as one of Glasgow’s principal suburban shopping destinations and is accessible from Glasgow, Paisley and East Renfrewshire. It has received industry recognition, including being named the UK’s best shopping centre in 2019. A fox mascot named Silvia was introduced in 2018 after a competition involving local primary-school children. Silverburn remains an active shopping centre whose role combines regional retailing, food and beverage, entertainment, community presence and employment.
History
Silverburn was built on land associated with the Pollok Centre, a retail development dating from the late 1970s. The earlier centre itself replaced an unsuccessful attempt to develop tenement housing on the site during the 1940s. By the 2000s, the Pollok Centre was being replaced by a substantially larger shopping destination intended to serve Glasgow’s southern suburbs and communities beyond the city. Retail Property Holdings Ltd developed the new centre. BDP was the principal architectural practice, Stuart McTaggart provided civil and structural engineering services, Henderson Warnock acted as mechanical, electrical and utility consultant, and Bovis Lend Lease constructed the project. A Tesco Extra store opened on 10 July 2006, ahead of the main centre, replacing Tesco’s store in the former Pollok Centre. The main Silverburn development opened on Thursday 25 October 2007. The completed scheme provided a large collection of shops, restaurants and cafés, together with extensive parking and strong road connectivity. It was designed as an out-of-town destination beside the M77, making it accessible from Glasgow as well as Paisley and East Renfrewshire. Its environmental systems were also distinctive for Scotland: the centre used natural ventilation through wind catchers and combined this with underfloor heating to help maintain indoor comfort. In 2009, Silverburn was sold to Hammerson for a reported £300 million. The centre subsequently developed beyond its original retail-led format. An expansion programme started in 2013 and was delivered in phases from late 2014 through mid-2015. The work added a Cineworld cinema and nine restaurants, strengthening the centre’s food, entertainment and leisure offer. Earlier and later planning concepts included further expansion over parking areas and a possible development on the opposite side of the M77 involving additional shopping and leisure facilities, a hotel and a community centre. The supplied reference does not confirm that every element of those proposals was built. Silverburn’s tenant profile has included Tesco, Next and Marks & Spencer as anchor-style occupiers, as well as fashion, sportswear, beauty, home, jewellery and luxury-accessory brands. Debenhams was formerly one of the centre’s major department-store tenants but left following the chain’s 2021 closures. The centre is also associated with a large Zara store described as the biggest in Scotland. Silverburn has been recognised in shopping-centre awards, including a 2019 designation as the UK’s best shopping centre. In 2018, it introduced Silvia, a fox mascot chosen through a local-school competition. These initiatives reflect the centre’s effort to operate not only as a retail property but also as a visible community and leisure destination. It remains an active regional shopping centre in Glasgow.
- 2021
Debenhams departs
[1]The Debenhams store closed when the department-store chain shut its stores.
- 2019
Named the UK’s best shopping centre
[1]Silverburn received a UK best-shopping-centre accolade.
- 2018
Silvia mascot introduced
[1]The centre launched its fox mascot, Silvia, after a competition among local primary-school children.
- 2015
Cinema and dining expansion completed
[1]The expansion was completed in stages between late 2014 and mid-2015, adding Cineworld and nine restaurants.
- 2013
Expansion programme begins
[1]Silverburn began a programme to add cinema and restaurant capacity.
- 2009
Acquisition by Hammerson
[1]Hammerson acquired Silverburn in a transaction reported at £300 million.
- 2007
Silverburn opens
[1]The completed shopping centre opened on 25 October 2007 on the former Pollok Centre site.
- 2006
Tesco Extra opens ahead of the main centre
[1]A Tesco Extra store opened on the site on 10 July 2006, replacing the Tesco outlet in the former Pollok Centre.
Products and positioning
A large, accessible suburban shopping and leisure centre serving Glasgow and surrounding communities.
Fashion, footwear, beauty, home and specialty retail · 2007
Retail shopping
Silverburn’s principal offering is a broad collection of physical stores spanning fashion, sportswear, footwear, beauty, jewellery, homeware and accessories. Reference material identifies tenants and brands including Zara, JD Sports, H&M, Kurt Geiger, Pandora, Hugo Boss, Molton Brown and The White Company, alongside anchor-style retailers such as Next and Marks & Spencer.
Supermarket · 2006
Tesco Extra
The Tesco Extra at Silverburn opened before the main shopping centre and replaced Tesco’s store in the former Pollok Centre. It provides supermarket groceries and general merchandise and formed one of the site’s major anchor retail offers.
Food and beverage · 2007
Dining and cafés
Restaurants and cafés have been part of Silverburn’s offer since the original development. The later expansion programme added nine restaurants, increasing the centre’s role as an evening and leisure destination as well as a shopping venue.
Cinema and leisure · 2015
Cineworld
A Cineworld cinema was added through Silverburn’s expansion programme, giving the centre a dedicated entertainment attraction alongside its retail and dining facilities.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Silvia mascot competition
Glasgow · Scotland
Silverburn introduced Silvia, a fox mascot selected through a competition involving local primary-school children. The initiative connected the shopping centre with its surrounding community.
Outcome. Silvia became the centre’s named mascot.
Brand decisions
2015
Consider further expansion across parking and the M77StrategyBackground
Following the cinema and restaurant expansion, further growth concepts were considered for land around the existing centre.
Action taken
Proposals contemplated additional shopping and leisure space, a hotel and a community centre, including development across the M77.
Aftermath
The supplied reference material does not confirm that all of these proposals were implemented.
2013
Expand into cinema, dining and leisureStrategyBackground
Silverburn sought to broaden its offer beyond shopping and increase the destination’s leisure and food-and-beverage appeal.
Action taken
The centre began an expansion programme that added a Cineworld cinema and nine restaurants.
Aftermath
The works were completed in stages between late 2014 and mid-2015 and expanded the centre’s leisure offer.
2006
Open the replacement Tesco Extra before the main centreProduct launchBackground
The former Pollok Centre was being replaced by the new Silverburn development, requiring a new Tesco store to serve the site.
Action taken
A Tesco Extra opened on 10 July 2006, more than a year before the main shopping centre opened.
Aftermath
The store became one of Silverburn’s major retail anchors.
Sources2 sources
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