Changing face of Newcastle’s Eldon Square in the next two years as Freight Island plans announced

New restaurants, shops and leisure ventures are set to change the face of Eldon Square in the coming year.

For years, it has been a favourite destination for Geordies heading into the city centre – many readers will remember picking up fruit, veg, flowers and a whole host of miscellaneous items from the Green Market, and some may even hark back to when they could enjoy coffee and cake in the John Lewis “flying saucer” café. Those who can cast their minds back 45 years may remember seeing Kate Bush appearing at the Virgin Records store!

However, those days are long gone, and due to huge changes to shopping habits in recent years the centre is becoming as much about leisure and dining as it is about shopping. Millions of pounds are set to be invested to rejuvenate the centre this year, with a promise to bring hundreds of jobs to the city centre.

2024 saw a series of changes for Eldon Square, including openings for beauty brand Sephora, the North East’s first S østrene Grene store, the introduction of Chinese variety store MINISO, and an expansion for Newcastle football fan classic The Back Page. The centre did lose some shops too – with Lakeland pulling down the shutters in March and Morphe announcing its sudden closure in August.

Following the latest announcement on Wednesday morning that Freight Island would take over the top floor of the former Debenham’s store, here are all of the changes confirmed for Eldon Square so far in 2025.

Freight Island

Freight Island is a huge entertainment and dining destination set to land in Newcastle later this year.

Inspired by Coney Island in New York, the £16m project is touted to create hundreds of jobs when it opens in the autumn. Set within the top floor and on the roof of the former Debenhams department store, at 60,000sqft, it is set to become the largest food, drink and entertainment venue in a UK city centre.

It promises a mix of family-friendly events and global street food during the day, to DJ sets and live performances at night. A key feature will be the Music Box – a new venue for live music and touring acts.

Coun Dan Greenhough, Newcastle City Council Cabinet Member for Economy, Jobs and Skills, said: “The launch of Freight Island at Eldon Square marks an important moment in the transformation of Newcastle city centre and is something that I’m sure our residents will be incredibly excited about. Our city is recognised globally for its leisure offering and night-time economy, and this strategic investment in the shopping centre will ensure that we continue to be an attractive destination for visitors seeking high-quality experiences.”

Dan Morris, co-founder and managing director of Freight Island, said: “This venue has been designed with scale, prominence, and long-term investment in mind. We hope to replicate the huge success of Freight Island in Manchester, where it has already contributed over £30 million to the local economy.

“This incredible venue in the heart of a very special city offers a truly exciting opportunity to create a cultural space that could become a focal point of Newcastle for years to come.”

Here’s what to expect from the new venture in Newcastle based on the existing Freight Island in Manchester.

Wingstop

Newcastle’s Wingstop will be one of first new UK locations to open this year after the rapidly-growing chicken chain announced plans for at least 20 new sites in the UK in 2025. There’s already a Wingstop in the MetroCentre, but this will be the first in Newcastle, with the new fast food joint taking over the former George’s British Kitchen.

The business was founded in Texas back in 1993, before quickly expanding to more locations and now has over 1,400 restaurants worldwide. Chris Sherriff, chief executive at Wingstop UK, said: “2024 has been a landmark year for Wingstop UK, marked by record site openings, a new flagship location and industry accolades.

“This year we are poised for even greater growth, with plans to expand into new regions and create hundreds of jobs. Thank you to the brilliant work of all our employees, who drive us to keep growing, whilst providing a personalised and authentic experience to wing-lovers up and down the country.

“There is huge momentum and we can’t wait to bring our flavours to more areas across the UK.”

“Super” Next

Billboards on the former Debenhams store have gone up giving a clue as to when a “Super Next” is set to open in the former department store. Debenhams has been closed since May 2021, and the huge retail space has remain unfilled ever since.

However, that is set to change this summer, as shopping giant Next take over the premises on St Andrew’s Way. The current store, just a couple of minutes walk away, will close as a result of the new larger store.

Jayne Pushon, of Next, said: “We are very excited to be launching a new large format store in Newcastle and look forward to welcoming more customers to Eldon Square. We are delighted to be able to introduce customers to our new home and beauty department, where we will have staff on hand to talk more about our exciting product ranges in the new store.”

It has been more than six years since Next opened one of its biggest flagship stores in the UK at the MetroCentre. Like that store, Next in Eldon Square will have a Bath & Body Works shop right next to it, with a billboard also advertising its impending arrival in Eldon Square.

River Island

Also set to open in Eldon Square this summer is a new River Island flagship store. The existing store on St Andrew’s Way is set to relocate and upsize into the vacant Topshop unit in Eldon Square with a new “digital first” store.

Its new location comes in at more than 20,000 square feet, and bosses are promising an “enhanced shopping experience”, featuring curated collections, digital fitting rooms and a brand new look.

Gemma Scarfe, digital & marketing director at River Island, said: “Newcastle has been a beacon of cultural dynamism in the last decade, drawing in investment and shaping itself as a premier destination, and we are excited to be part of that story. Our new store promises to redefine the shopping experience for our customers, enriching their journey through our brand amidst the vibrancy of this thriving city.”

Roof terrace and go-karting track

A re-development of Eldon Square’s Greys Quarter was given the green light by city council planners in April 2024. Set partly in the vacant former Eldon Leisure Centre, they involve a roof terrace looking out over Old Eldon Square.

A national operator is also hoping to bring indoor sports and entertainment aimed at families, with an “amusement centre” and indoor motorised electric go-karting. The plans are predicted to create 210 jobs and bring in £8.84m plans to the local economy.

An opening date hasn’t yet been confirmed for the roof terrace and go-karting track.

What else is happening?

Aside from new shops and entertainment complexes opening, there are a number of refits which have either already happened in early 2025, or are set to take place later this year. Both EE and The Fragrance Shop have already undergone refits this year.

Nando’s, which looks out onto Old Eldon Square, is set to reopen on February 21 after an extensive refit, and Boots will also undergo a refit this year. Boots will remain open as the works, the dates of which have not yet been confirmed, are completed.

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