Westquay
A major retail and leisure destination in Southampton, England, combining around 130 shops with restaurants, entertainment venues and integrated parking.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Westquay is a large shopping and leisure centre in the city centre of Southampton, England. It occupies a prominent position close to the docks and the city’s main commercial streets, with access from Above Bar Street, Portland Terrace, Harbour Parade and the surrounding pedestrian network. The centre contains approximately 95,600 square metres of retail and leisure space and has around 130 shops, making it one of the principal shopping destinations on the south coast of England. The development was built on a substantial brownfield urban site that included the former Pirelli Cable Works, the Daily Echo building and the 1960s Arundel Towers office and car-park development. Demolition began in September 1997, followed by a complex construction programme involving major steel structures, elevated retail links and connections across existing roads. Westquay North opened on 28 September 2000. Its development reshaped the relationship between Southampton’s traditional High Street, the civic centre, the waterfront and the central transport network. The original centre was anchored by John Lewis and Marks & Spencer. The John Lewis store replaced the long-established Tyrrell & Green department store, while Marks & Spencer moved from Above Bar Street into the new complex. Over time, Westquay’s tenant mix expanded and changed in response to retail competition, consumer demand and the performance of individual stores. Its shops have included national and international brands such as Zara, Schuh, Waterstones, Hollister, Apple, New Look, River Island and Lego. The first Hollister store outside the extended London area opened at Westquay North in 2009, an indication of the centre’s regional importance to fashion retailers. Westquay has also developed beyond conventional shopping. A food-terrace refurbishment completed in 2012 introduced or upgraded casual dining brands and enclosed the external terrace for more reliable, all-weather use. The later Westquay South expansion, initially planned as Watermark WestQuay, added a public piazza, restaurants, a Showcase Cinema de Lux multiplex, Hollywood Bowl bowling and arcade facilities, and a broad food-and-beverage offer. The first restaurants opened in December 2016, while the cinema opened in February 2017. This expansion strengthened Westquay’s role as an evening and leisure destination as well as a daytime shopping centre. The centre incorporates substantial transport and engineering infrastructure, including a multi-storey car park, a three-tier car park beneath the development, footbridges and elevated links across roads. Its design accommodates a significant change in ground level across the site. Westquay is also connected to Southampton’s district energy system. Heating and cooling are supplied through infrastructure associated with the city’s geothermal heat station and aquifer-based district energy scheme, linking the centre to a wider civic sustainability project. The property was rebranded from WestQuay to Westquay in January 2017, following the opening period of the South expansion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it closed for the first time outside its customary Christmas Day and Easter Sunday closures, reflecting the restrictions placed on non-essential retail and leisure venues. In November 2024, Hammerson took full ownership of the centre. Westquay remains an active mixed-use retail and leisure destination serving Southampton, Hampshire and the wider south-coast region.
History
Westquay was developed as a major regeneration project on a central Southampton site formerly occupied by the Pirelli Cable Works, the Daily Echo building and the Arundel Towers office and car-park complex. The project required the demolition of the earlier buildings, which began in September 1997, and the construction of a long, multi-level retail complex connecting the city’s principal shopping streets with areas closer to the waterfront. The centre presented significant engineering challenges. It crosses or links major roads, incorporates elevated glazed retail connections and accommodates a change in ground level of approximately 4.5 metres across the site. The principal mall extends for roughly 400 metres, with extensive roof lighting and numerous lifts. A multi-storey car park and lower-level parking were incorporated into the development. Westquay North opened on 28 September 2000. John Lewis and Marks & Spencer became the key department-store anchors. John Lewis replaced Tyrrell & Green, a long-established local department store whose departure generated mixed public feelings, while Marks & Spencer relocated from Above Bar Street. The centre subsequently evolved through tenant changes and store relocations. Tower Records was replaced by a Nike store and later by Pret a Manger. Waitrose moved to Portswood in 2006, although a Little Waitrose later returned within the lower-ground-floor area of John Lewis. New Look and River Island also changed locations within or near the centre as units were reconfigured. Westquay’s tenant strategy increasingly combined retail with dining and leisure. In 2009, Hollister opened a store described as its first outside the extended London area. A food-terrace refurbishment completed in autumn 2012 introduced new restaurant brands, refreshed existing operators and converted the terrace into a more enclosed, all-weather dining environment branded Dining at WestQuay. Hammerson later pursued a substantial extension originally called Watermark WestQuay. A master plan was made public in 2012, followed by planning submissions and approvals in 2013 and 2014. Construction of the first phase began in January 2015. The resulting Westquay South development added a public piazza, restaurants, a Showcase Cinema de Lux multiplex, Hollywood Bowl bowling and arcade facilities. The first restaurants opened on 8 December 2016, and the cinema opened on 10 February 2017. Around the same period, the centre’s name was restyled from WestQuay to Westquay. The centre’s environmental infrastructure is linked to Southampton’s district energy scheme. Heating and cooling are supplied through a centralised system associated with the city’s geothermal heat station, which uses heat from an underground aquifer and distributes energy to participating city-centre buildings. This gives Westquay a connection to one of Southampton’s notable urban energy projects. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Westquay closed under restrictions affecting retail and leisure venues. This was its first closure outside normal Christmas Day and Easter Sunday closures. The centre subsequently continued operating as a mixed retail, dining and entertainment destination. In November 2024, Hammerson took full ownership, consolidating control of a property it had developed and managed.
- 2024
Hammerson obtains full ownership
[1]Hammerson took full ownership of Westquay in November.
- 2020
Pandemic closure
[1]Westquay closed under COVID-19 restrictions, outside its customary holiday closures.
- 2017
Brand name standardised as Westquay
[1]The centre was rebranded from WestQuay and the new cinema and leisure district became known as Westquay South.
- 2016
Westquay South begins opening
[1]The first restaurants in the extension opened in December, with further venues following into early 2017.
- 2015
Westquay South construction begins
[1]Work began on the first phase of the extension, including changes to the existing walkway and entrance ramp.
- 2013
Westquay South outline planning approved
[1]Southampton City Council approved the outline application for Hammerson’s Watermark WestQuay extension.
- 2012
Dining area redeveloped
[1]The food terrace was refurbished, enclosed for all-weather access and relaunched as Dining at WestQuay.
- 2009
Hollister expands to Westquay
[1]Hollister opened its first store outside the extended London area at Westquay North.
- 2006
Waitrose relocates from Westquay
[1]The Waitrose store moved to Portswood, creating space for subsequent tenant changes within Westquay North.
- 2000
Westquay North opens
[1]The main retail centre opened in Southampton on 28 September.
Products and positioning
A major regional shopping and leisure destination with a broad national and international tenant mix, anchored by department stores and supported by dining, cinema, bowling and city-centre accessibility.
Shopping centre · 2000
Westquay North
The original and principal retail component of Westquay, opened in 2000. Westquay North provides department stores, fashion, footwear, books, beauty, technology, food and other shopping categories across a large city-centre mall. Its tenant mix has included John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Zara, Schuh, Waterstones, Hollister, Apple, New Look, River Island and other national and international retailers.
Leisure and dining district · 2016
Westquay South
The extension formerly marketed as Watermark WestQuay and Westquay Watermark. Westquay South adds a public piazza, a substantial restaurant cluster, Showcase Cinema de Lux and Hollywood Bowl bowling and arcade facilities. It broadened the centre’s purpose from shopping-led visits to evening dining, film, entertainment and social use.
Food and beverage · 2012
Dining at Westquay
Westquay’s dedicated casual-dining area, created through a 2012 refurbishment of the former food terrace. The area was enclosed for more dependable all-weather access and has hosted a changing mix of quick-service and casual restaurant operators, complementing the larger restaurant offer in Westquay South.
Cinema · 2017
Showcase Cinema de Lux
A ten-screen cinema operated under Showcase Cinemas’ Cinema de Lux format. Located on the fourth level of Westquay South, it opened in February 2017 and forms a central part of the centre’s leisure strategy.
Bowling and arcade entertainment · 2016
Hollywood Bowl
A bowling and arcade venue introduced as part of the Westquay South expansion. It contributes to the centre’s evening and family-entertainment offer alongside the cinema and restaurants.
Brand decisions
2024
Hammerson takes full ownershipM&ABackground
The ownership structure of the centre changed in November 2024.
Action taken
Hammerson assumed full ownership of Westquay.
Aftermath
The transaction consolidated Hammerson’s ownership and control of the destination.
2017
WestQuay brand refreshOtherBackground
The naming and identity of the centre were updated during the opening period of the southern extension.
Action taken
The spelling and styling were changed from WestQuay to Westquay, with the newer district identified as Westquay South.
Aftermath
Westquay became the standard public-facing name for the overall destination.
2016
Launch of Westquay SouthProduct launchBackground
The extension was designed to diversify Westquay into restaurants, cinema, bowling and public-space uses.
Action taken
The first restaurants opened in December 2016, followed by additional restaurants and leisure venues.
Aftermath
Westquay became a more explicitly mixed retail, dining and entertainment destination.
2013
Planning approval for Watermark WestQuayStrategyBackground
Hammerson planned a major extension to add restaurants and leisure uses to the established shopping centre.
Action taken
Hammerson submitted the outline planning application, which Southampton City Council approved in July 2013.
Aftermath
Detailed design approval followed in 2014 and construction began in 2015.
2012
Redevelopment of the food terraceStrategyBackground
Westquay sought to improve its dining offer and make the existing food terrace more useful throughout the year.
Action taken
The terrace was enclosed, seating and interiors were updated, new restaurant operators were introduced and the area was relaunched as Dining at WestQuay.
Aftermath
The project strengthened dining as a distinct part of the centre’s offer and was followed by further restaurant expansion in Westquay South.
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