All of the retail and leisure destinations owned by shopping centre landlord Intu contributed almost £5bn to the UK economy in 2018, new research has found. Intu Properties owns shopping centres spread across the UK. The most well known shopping centres are Intu Trafford Centre, Manchester, Intu Lakeside, Essex and Intu Potteries, Stoke-on-Trent.
The company supported a total of 132,950 jobs last year, making it one of the largest local employers in six of the areas where it operates. Intu attributed the growth in employment to its ongoing investment in new developments, including the £180m extension to Intu Watford and a £72m leisure development at Intu Lakeside, which is set to launch this summer. Intu is planning a further £600m of investment over the next ten years, including the redevelopment of Intu Broadmarsh in Nottingham and the expansion of Barton Square at Intu Trafford Centre.
‘Retail is a sector that Britain should be really proud of. The best shopping destinations employ people in a wide variety of jobs across the length and breadth of the country and are catalysts that create economic and social value. Intu supports more than 130,000 jobs and contributes billions to the prosperity and well-being of communities around the country. Flagship centres such as ours play an important role in the lives of communities across the UK, not only in terms of the jobs we create but also the taxes we generate as well as the causes we support to improve the lives and well-being of people in our neighbourhoods.’ – Matthew Roberts
