Giant Battersea Power Station mall to open on 14 October

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 2, 2022

It's finally happening. Nearly 40 years after Battersea Power Station (BPS) closed as a working power generator, the listed historic site will reopen on 14 October as a major South London shopping and leisure destination.

The new shopping centre — which is the biggest such development in London in years — will include stores from brands such as Mulberry, Hackett, Theory, Levi’s, Pinko, Superdry, Zara, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, Lululemon, Castore, Sweaty Betty and more.

The company has been publicising developments at BPS for some time and ramped its efforts up this week with 1930s-style newspaper boys – a nod to when the Power Station first started generating electricity – spreading the news across London with a limited-edition ‘Power Station Post’ newspaper.

The destination will feature over 100 shops, bars and restaurants, plus office space and leisure venues when it opens and will account for around 17,000 jobs across the 42-acre site on completion.

Development will be ongoing after the opening with a a 24,000 sq ft Arcade Food Hall and a 28,000 sq ft club from London fitness brand Third Space debuting in 2023.

On opening day next month, Electric Boulevard will also make its debut. It’s a new pedestrianised high street, which runs from the south of the Power Station, between Frank Gehry’s Prospect Place and Foster + Partners’ Battersea Roof Gardens.

At its peak, Battersea Power Station supplied a fifth of London’s electricity but the building was decommissioned in 1983 and during the years that followed, several failed attempts were made to redevelop the site. It’s been under the control of Sime Darby Property, SP Setia and the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) since 2012. They’ve overseen the major revamp and in parts, a complete rebuild.

The building’s retail offering is housed in the Power Station’s two newly-restored Turbine Halls. They’re identical from outside but are very different inside. Turbine Hall A reflects the Art Deco style of the 1930s when the Power Station was built, whereas the 1950s-created Turbine Hall B has more of a brutalist, industrial look and feel.