Wirral Life April 2017 | Page 8

W NEWS L HOUSE OF FRASER IS COMING TO CHESTER House of Fraser has announced that it has signed an agreement to open an anchor store at the new Chester Northgate retail and leisure complex. Chester Northgate is the 500,000 sq ft redevelopment of Chester city centre and is one of the most significant city centre developments in the last decade. The redevelopment will revitalise the city centre providing 70 stores, cafes and restaurants, as well as 70 homes, hotel & conference centre, six-screen cinema and the city’s largest car park. This development, spearheaded by Cheshire West and Chester Council, will offer a full suite of experiences to locals and Chester’s millions of yearly visitors and will drive more visitors and shoppers into Chester. Construction of the development will commence in late 2018, targeting an opening of all three phases by 2021. The new department store, with approx. 100,000 sq ft of retail space over three floors, will offer customers a premium shopping environment and bring desirable brands and fashion labels to the region. The store is designed to a high specification to accommodate a multichannel, modern experience-led retail offering through elements of the build such as a large health and beauty department, which is twice the size of traditional beauty departments, and a premium rooftop restaurant with views over Chester’s historic racecourse. Chester Northgate will be House of Fraser’s second major UK store opening, Frank Slevin, Executive Chairman of House of Fraser, said: “We are very pleased to announce that we have signed an agreement to open an anchor store at Chester Northgate. Chester is an exciting location for us, being at the centre of a thriving regional economy. With its modern design, Chester Northgate will rejuvenate Chester city centre attracting more visitors and creating a dynamic retail environment.” 8TH WIRRAL OPEN STUDIOS TOUR 2017 This June, Wirral will once again throw open its studio doors for its 8th annual Wirral Open Studios Tour (WOST) - so individuals can visit a wide range of talented local professional and semi-professional artists showcasing their work. If you fancy a weekend of mooching through artists’ studios, homes, gardens and exhibition spaces to see, chat and engage with; painters, photographers, printmakers, potters, glass designers, illustrators and textile artists, then this is a definite date for your diary. In turn, the informal and relaxing setting of the event will allow visitors to understand artists’ inspirations and creative techniques, share in their passion for creative arts and help celebrate this popular culture- filled Wirral weekend. To download a map and plan your tour route around the exhibiting artists visit: www.wirralart.com VOTING OPENS TO FIND CHESHIRE’S YOUNG X FACTOR ARTISTS An online public vote to find Cheshire’s best young artists has opened. More than 300 pupils from 20 Cheshire schools have entered the dot-art Schools competition and are hoping for your votes to see their artwork on display in a public exhibition later this spring. View the shortlist and vote online for the work at http://cheshire. schools.dot-art.com/vote. Voting closes at midnight on Friday 5th May. PORT SUNLIGHT VILLAGE TRUST HOSTS SPECIAL EXHIBITION CURATED BY UNILEVER AT PORT SUNLIGHT MUSEUM Port Sunlight Museum this week has launched its newest exhibition which explores Unilever’s brands over the last 100 years, from the company’s early days as Lever Brothers, through to present day. knowledge to the test by seeing what adverts they remember from a selection of original TV commercials. Curated from Unilever’s own archive collections, the displays delve into the foundation and development of Unilever, product innovation and what is made behind the factory wall in Port Sunlight today. An exciting programme of talks, tours, family activities, and workshops will accompany the exhibition throughout 2017. The special exhibition is open to the public until March 2018. Visitors can enjoy an interactive global shop called ‘Your Unilever’ showcasing just a few of the 400 much loved brands, and put their Visit www.portsunlightvillage.com for more information. 8 wirrallife.com The exhibition features a selection of original packaging from some of Unilever’s biggest brands, film clips and an interactive quiz.