Woking’s town centre transformation celebrates flagship Boots opening

Victoria Square Woking Limited (VSWL) is celebrating the completion of the first phase of Victoria Place, the £570m transformation of part of Woking town centre, with the opening of a flagship Boots that forms a cornerstone of the development.

At 27,500 sq ft and opening onto Commercial Way and into Wolsey Place, the new Boots has been developed with the brand’s ‘Store of the Future’ elements, such as innovative lighting and flooring, as well as a rehydration station and new in queue merchandising (IQM) system.  The store features a wider range of products and beauty counters, including NO7, Clinique, The Ordinary, Bumble and Bumble, Benefit and Liz Earle.  In addition, a pharmacy with two consultation rooms provides vaccination services such as travel vaccines, Meningitis, HPV, Malaria and flu.  The store also includes an opticians and offers a click and collect service as well as instore photo printing.

Previously a tenant of Wolsey Place, Boots relocated to Peacocks to help facilitate the construction of Victoria Place, the most significant single development in Woking town centre for many years.  Recent additions to the Victoria Place line-up will be Big Apple Bowl and Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts:

• Big Apple Bowl is opening a 26,500 sq ft leisure destination that will include 14 bowling lanes and a licensed F&B offer
• Occupying 46,816 sq ft, Italia Conti Dance Conservatoire offers a range of courses in musical theatre, acting and dance.  The classes cater for juniors and adults, and are also taught part-time or in summer courses

Victoria Place will open in September 2021, comprising 125,000 sq ft of new retail floorspace including a 50,000 sq ft Marks and Spencer, fit-out of which begins in March next year.  Complementing the retail offering, Victoria Square also includes a 22-storey 189-bed four-star Hilton Hotel, 429 residential apartments in two towers of 30 and 34 storeys, a new restaurant unit on Commercial Way and space for a medical centre.  In addition, the development will bring two new public plazas and an additional 284 parking spaces to the destination.

Councillor Ayesha Azad, Leader of Woking Borough Council, commented: “The opening of phase one of Victoria Place is a major milestone and a marker of the momentum being enjoyed by Woking.  Today’s news highlights the enduring appeal of Woking, and the Council’s commitment to work with its partners to ensure the long-term vibrancy of the Borough.”

Peter Robinson, Managing Director of Moyallen, added: “The new Boots store is a fantastic addition to Woking Shopping’s line-up that also heralds the completion of the first phase of a development that will transform the town centre.  Victoria Place is a new-generation of development that successfully integrates a range of uses to create a thriving community and positive, long-term contribution to the local economy.”

Woking Shopping serves a catchment of 1.1m people with an available spend of £2.6bn.  41% of Woking’s catchment are from CACI’s ‘Affluent Achievers’ Acorn profile, compared to 31% for the South East.  Upon completion of Victoria Place, Woking’s market potential will increase by 11% to £226m.

Victoria Square Woking Limited is a joint venture between Moyallen and Woking Borough Council.