Under new ownership: What’s next for Huddersfield’s Kingsgate Shopping Centre?
Kingsgate Shopping Centre in Huddersfield was recently acquired by Northdale Advisors for approximately £32m. The 280,000 sq ft scheme was sold by WD Ltd at the end of last year after 23 years of ownership.
But what’s next for Kingsgate Shopping Centre under its new ownership? Completely Retail News were given an exclusive tour of the centre, and spoke to asset manager Steve Bateman about the future of the scheme.
“When I started in asset management, tenant mix was the priority, especially with a focus on bringing in big names in fashion”, says Bateman, “but the whole sector has changed.”
“The question as an asset manager is: how do you reposition a centre to suit its catchment?”, he asks.
Bateman has been involved with Kingsgate for nearly two years prior to Northdale’s acquisition, and previously worked on assets such as the Victoria Centre in Harrogate and Woolshops in Halifax. He also spent 15 years at LaSalle Investment Management, working on asset management mandates of varying sizes across the country. (pictured: Steve Bateman)
To understand Kingsgate Shopping Centre it’s important to understand Huddersfield as a whole. The Yorkshire town has a history that’s based in the textiles industry, thus becoming a prominent mill town during the Industrial Revolution. This is reflected in the town’s neoclassical Victorian architecture, particularly at its stunning train station with its imposing stone façade. The town has built on this heritage and has particularly benefited from the expansion of the education sector with the university being a key component of the town.
In modern times, however, Huddersfield “maybe went too far” with creating retail provision, says Bateman. Kingsgate sits adjacent to another managed centre, Packhorse Shopping Centre, which is predominantly home to an independent line-up of retailers and food and beverage operators.
Also near to the main entrance of Kingsgate is the Piazza Shopping Centre, which is set to be demolished as part of a major redevelopment within the town’s ‘Cultural Heart’ initiative. In its place will sit an urban square, a library, and a 20,000-capacity venue. Construction is currently underway, with completion of Phase One expected in 2026.
As a result, there has been a consolidation of new and existing national retailers at Kingsgate, says Bateman. The scheme is home to tenants such as JD, Sports Direct, TK Maxx, New Look, River Island, Greggs, Clarks, and Taco Bell. Boots is also relocating from its nearby location on King Street into the scheme.
The real star of the show at Kingsgate is The Light. Occupying the former House of Fraser department store, the 70,000 sq ft leisure complex now anchors the scheme and features a six-screen cinema, alongside activities such as bowling, mini-golf, arcade games, climbing walls, dartboards, axe throwing, and pool tables.
Since the venue opened in April 2025, there has been a boost to visitor numbers at Kingsgate. In the 12 months prior to The Light’s arrival, footfall at the scheme was 4.7 million. In 2025, this increased to 5.5 million and continues to rise.
The Light, Kingsgate Shopping Centre
“The Light has been very well received and popular”, says Bateman, “repeat business is off the scale due to its comprehensive offer.”
In particular, the venue is proving to be a big hit amongst younger visitors. Bateman says that the shopping centre’s car park, which would usually only be full in the days before Christmas, was “rammed” over February half-term. Huddersfield is also home to a sizeable student population, which Bateman says have made “full use” of The Light’s facilities.
“The Light got the concept bang on”, says Bateman, “and the nature of the venue means that they can make subtle changes as required to fit demand.”
The opening of The Light has also had a halo effect on the wider scheme, says Bateman. Taco Bell recently opened next to the venue, and has traded well as the first occupier in the new F&B location on Zetland Street.
“We’re not doing anything particularly ground-breaking at Kingsgate but the impact is huge”, says Bateman, “we’ve taken a leisure anchor and are now locked in to a strategy to reposition the scheme as a leisure and entertainment anchored mixed use shopping centre which remains the heartbeat of the town”.
The opening of The Light marks what Bateman calls “Phase One” of the scheme’s repositioning.
“The hard work starts here”, he says, “but Northdale have the capital and the appetite and experience to move the scheme forward.”
Jon Taylor, partner at Northdale Advisors, said Kingsgate” is “offers an exciting opportunity” to build on its success.
“We plan to invest in the tenant mix and customer experience, working closely with Kirklees Council and our occupiers to ensure Kingsgate plays a central role in Huddersfield’s ‘Cultural Heart’ and continues to attract new brands, new uses and more visitors to the town”, he added.
Bateman says the next step may involve repositioning or redeveloping part of the atrium area adjacent to The Light. “This will create a better configured area and enable retailers and restaurants to have a better trading proposition in the scheme”, he says.
Meanwhile three vacant restaurant units, adjacent to Taco Bell, are also currently under development as the centre looks to increase its food and beverage provision and provide a wider and more varied restaurant choice to customers.
A CGI of the new restaurant units to be constructed alongside Taco Bell
In addition, further work on the shopping centre’s exterior and updated signage is in the pipeline, with discussions expected between the new owner and the local authority to improve the surrounding area. Northdale has also appointed a new architect to assess how the internal layout of the scheme can be rearranged.
As for the tenant mix at Kingsgate, Bateman says it’s “about balance” between financial return and finding the right retailers.
With growth in a number of retail subsectors, such as health and beauty and QSR (quick service restaurant) operators, the key for Kingsgate is to secure the best-in-class operators, says Bateman.
Northdale and Bateman will work together with the scheme’s retained leasing agents, KLM (retail), Newns Webster (retail/F&B), and Pudney Shuttleworth (F&B) to secure new tenants at Kingsgate.
“Retailers 10 years ago would take units on a hunch”, says Bateman, “now it’s more data driven. The really good agents have thrived in this environment”.
Bateman adds that Kingsgate is in “great shape” in terms of voids.
“The sector is exciting, rental values are have adjusted or are now adjusting and there’s invetor enthusiasm again to invest in shopping centres”, he adds, “now the challenge for us is to get the message out to people that haven’t been to Huddersfield in a while that it’s a great location and to see what they are missing”.