Vast retail complex is 'on track'

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Shopping centre 'set to fly'

A giant shopping centre will be a success in spite of the economy, its developers have insisted.

The 400,000 sq ft, £100m Eagles Meadow complex will catapult Wrexham into the top 80 UK retail destinations when its completed on the 30 October.

Centre Manager Simon Pullen admitted it was "a difficult time" to open.

"But if people see they can come to Eagles Meadow, I think they'll spend their money here and maybe cut back on other things," he said.

The developers accept the downturn in the economy will have an impact on Eagles Meadow.

"But on floor area we are now 87% let," Mr Pullen said, adding: "If we'd known two years ago that this economic climate was coming, we couldn't have even wished for this level of occupancy at this stage."

Eagles Meadow represents a total investment of £100m Construction started in May 2006 and will finish in October 2008 Wrexham's clothing market is projected to grow by 47% to £90m

The centre will house a department store, more than 30 shops, a cinema, restaurants and bowling alley.

Some shops in the old town centre will close as a result of the new development, with firms such as Marks & Spencer taking up new premises in Eagles Meadow.

Aled Roberts, leader of Wrexham County Borough Council, said the retail complex was good news for the town.

"We've got a number of shops who in reality would have been looking at moving out of the town centre because the offer they had wasn't large enough," he said.

"The vast majority of shops in Eagles Meadow are new to Wrexham."

Mr Roberts said the timing of the project was "very fortunate" for Wrexham.

"The reality is that if this place wasn't built by now we'd be going through some of the other problems towns are going through where a lot of retail developments are being moth-balled."