New £350m shopping centre opens

About 25,000 people went through the doors on the first day

A new multi-million pound shopping centre has opened in Leicester.

Highcross Leicester, which has cost about £350m to build, includes a shopping mall, restaurants, a 12-screen cinema and luxury apartments.

The official opening ceremony was followed by events and processions throughout the day.

Developer Hammerson said the centre - built on the former Shires site - had created about 2,000 jobs and would put Leicester on the shopping map.

'World-class facility'

Street performers were followed by a procession of local school children carrying a "silk river".

Later in the evening, locally designed lanterns were floated into the air and a light show was projected on to some of the shop fronts.

Leader of Leicester City Council, Ross Wilmot , said it was a great day for the city.

"This is one of the greatest days of my life to see this happen here... it's absolutely fantastic. This is a world-class facility, it will attract people across the region.

"This is the first day it's opened and we've already had 25,000 people through the doors, which is extraordinary."

Advertisement

Leicester wants to become the shopping capital of the East Midlands