Cabot Circus takes centre stage in Bristol

Bristol, the largest city and regional capital of the South West of England, has in recent years undergone a renaissance, finding its heart and soul as never before. Yesterday, Bristol's transformation took another giant leap forward following the official unveiling of its latest development Cabot Circus.

With 10 years of planning and having taken over three years to build, costing in excess of £500 million, Cabot Circus now provides city centre visitors with over 120 new shops, including 15 major flagship stores. Of these, Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser set the precedent, offering a combined area of well over 200,000 ft² of prime retail space with all of the top brands and labels that are usually associated with these famous chains.

The three-tiered shopping development also provides space for many other popular names one might expect to see on the high street, including Zara, All Saints, Fat Face, Cult Clothing, Top Shop and many more. Over 25 new restaurants and cafes are featured allowing weary shoppers to rest their feet. New to Bristol are Giraffe, Yo Sushi!, Coal Grill & Bar and Raymond Blanc's new Brasserie Blanc located within the new European-style, open-air piazza of Quakers Friars. Movie lovers visiting the complex will also be spoilt for choice with the arrival of the UK's third Cinema de Lux, offering 13 screens.

As more shops, restaurants and businesses open, the city continues to grow and evolve into one of the UK's leading shopping and leisure destinations.

Cabot Circus is estimated to generate over 20 million visitors in its first year of operations, double the number of visitors in previous years. The new shopping destination will also place Bristol in the elite of UK shopping locations. Previously outside the top 20, Bristol will now rank around 7th place in the UK table.

To coincide with the opening period of Cabot Circus, Destination Bristol, the city’s destination management organisation, is providing vital information on travel and what else to see and do when visiting Bristol during the post launch period. For further information on how to combine shopping and sightseeing at its best and get the most out of a visit to Bristol, see visitbristol.co.uk.