Bluewater opens debut South East store for Carvela

Landsec has announced the opening of a standalone store for Carvela, the women’s footwear and accessories specialist retailer, at Bluewater, one of Europe’s leading retail and leisure destinations.

The 1,200 sq ft unit, adjacent to Apple on Upper Guildhall, forms the brand’s seventh bricks-and-mortar store in the UK, and its first in the South East. Showcasing its innovative new range of shoes, bags and accessories, Carvela Bluewater extends the brand’s offering of shoe sizes and widths, to create comfortable heels for everyone.

Rob Hardie, Portfolio Director at Landsec, the co-owner and asset manager of Bluewater, commented:

“Following Carvela’s successful capsule collection at Bluewater’s Kurt Geiger store, the opening of this standalone boutique is an exciting addition to the centre . We’re delighted to be able to build on our existing relationship with Kurt Geiger to expand their presence at Bluewater and bring our guests something new.

Carvela will bring its own fan base to Bluewater, adding to the millions of annual visitors to the destination’s 300-strong line up of quality retail stores, leisure and restaurants. We’ve been delighted to see the positive response from guests as we add new and exciting reasons to visit Bluewater, from Hangloose Adventure to debut retail concepts like the recently launched Vanilla.”

Sarah Pugh, Head of Carvela Buying & Merchandise, added: “Opening a dedicated store at Bluewater supports Carvela’s forward-facing retail strategy. The unique shopping and leisure experience offered by Bluewater makes it the ideal destination for our flagship bricks-and-mortar store, supporting our mission to empower women through comfort and drive positive change in the industry.” 

Follwing this announcement, comes the news that Castle Fine Art will double in size, moving to a new 2,058 sq ft unit at Bluewater. The Gallery will relocate to a store adjacent to M&S at upper mall level. From sculptures to original artworks and limited editions, Castle Fine Art offers a wide spectrum of art, further adding to the diverse range of operators at the destination.