St James Quarter, Edinburgh’s largest retail and leisure district, is set to be rebranded as a Westfield site in 2026 following a 25 per cent acquisition by Unibail-Roadamco-Westfield (URW).
The Australian shopping centre company has 71 shopping centres worldwide, including two Westfield centres in London. The rebrand would make St James Quarter the first Westfield site in Scotland.
St James Quarter opened in 2021 and was established at the site of St James’s Square.
St James’s Square was created in the 18th-century by James Craig, designer of the area, and is steeped in history, known for its associations with writers, printers and publishers including Robert Burns.
This literary history inspires the spiral design of the ‘W’ structure at St James Quarter.
Speaking to student residents of New Town, some are concerned that this rebrand will commercialise what is currently a homage to the Georgian architecture typical of New Town.
One history student said:
“Princes Street is very touristy as it is, having such a big chain in the city might take away some of its charm.”
The rebrand is also a big commercial opportunity for the shopping centre with Westfield currently operating exclusively in London.
URW Chief Executive Jean-Marie Tritant said:
“St James Quarter is a high-quality, fully redeveloped asset that perfectly aligns with our strategy to operate and grow dominant flagship destinations in key urban markets.”
With the rebrand occurring in the next year, it is yet to be seen whether the centre will become a buzzing commercial hub or detract from the unique history of New Town which attracts tourists and students.
Image by Mark Chan for The Student.