During a time in which our high streets and shopping destinations are seeing numerous closures and changes, The Mall at Cribbs Causeway has this year welcomed a number of big name brands to its site.
It’s also seen popular brands, like Phase Eight and Wagamama, expand their current offering at the Cribbs shopping destination – the former of which being the high street chain’s ‘largest ever store‘. This year follows a successful 2023, when new openings included likes of Victoria’s Secret, Mango, Charles Tyrwhitt and Greggs.
Across 2023, 28 existing Mall retailers renewed their leases, including Boots, Waterstones, and Fat Face. But what’s joined the line-up in 2024? We’ve compiled a list of stores that have opened this year – as well as those still to come – so far…
Lego Store
When did it open: Thursday, November 7
The most recent opening at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway this year is the new Lego Store. Boasting 178 square metres of all things Lego, the new store is located by Boots, Polestar and H&M. Inside, you’ll find play sets and displays aplenty, with a variety of different sections for both kids and grown ups to play and build.
You’ll also find franchises like Marvel and Star Wars on shelves, in addition to Lego Mini Figures and Gaming Sets – and the iconic ‘pick a brick wall’ and ‘build a minifigure tower’. There are race cars, castles, flower bouquets, NASA rockets, and even the Mona Lisa, available to buy and build.
And, just in time for Christmas, there’s a vast array of festive gifts, puzzles, and more to peruse. During our visit, there was even a giant Father Christmas Lego Man walking around the shop to spread festive (and store opening) joy to visitors.
The shopfront is aglow with lights, welcoming shoppers into a “world of play”, while decorative Lego houses, animals and other creations sit proudly atop some giant Lego blocks in all their glory. Lego promises that the store will be “home to unforgettable immersive experiences, expert guidance from Brick Specialists, plus access to exclusive in-store offerings”.
What’s more, they’ll soon be selling exclusive products such as the Lego Technic™ McLaren P1™ and the LEGO The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr™. Take a look at our gallery of photos from the opening, here.
H&M (pop-up)
When did it open: July 31
The H&M pop-up opened back in the summer, much to the delight of fashion fans. In a post to the shopping centre’s social media pages, a photo showed the newly opened pop-up.
The caption read: “Exciting news! H&M is now open in their temporary store. You can find them in front of the water fountain.” It looked to be situated in the former home of Topshop and Topman, which closed back in 2021 after being bought out by ASOS and becoming a solely online-online brand.
H&M, which is listed on The Mall Cribbs official website as being ‘temporarily closed’ at its usual site at unit 022 of the shopping mall, has had to open in its temporary home while a shop refit gets underway.
Castore
When did it open: July 8
Castore is a sportswear shop located on the upper floor, next to L’Occitane. It sells a range of sportswear and athletic clothing, as well as other accessories. In July, the brand shared a post to its Instagram page confirming that the new store at The Mall was now open and urging shoppers to “head in to shop the latest performance wear”.
Sweaty Betty
When did it open: Between March-May
Situated between Itsu and Moss Bros on The Mall’s upper floor, global women’s activewear and lifestyle brand, Sweaty Betty, opened in the Cribbs Causeway shopping venue earlier this year. Famous for its ‘bum-sculpting’ leggings and innovative designs, a Sweaty Betty store could already be found on Queens Road in Clifton.
According to Sweaty Betty’s store finder, it has more than 140 stores and concessions worldwide including in the UK, Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, US and Canada. As well as its existing Bristol store, it also has a branch nearby in Bath.
Kiko Milano
When did it open: May 23
Italian cosmetics brand Kiko Milano returned to Bristol this year, with a new branch situated next to Lush, at The Mall Cribbs – the brand previously boasted stores at Cabot Circus and the Cribbs Causeway shopping venue, however these both closed permanently.
In May 2018, Fashion Network reported that the brand was seeking to close 12 of its 48 stores in the UK at that time, following closure of many of its US stores after filing for bankruptcy in the States in January 2018, “as a result of weak sales, a decline in store traffic and challenges from online shopping”. The store in Cabot Circus shared its first post to Instagram back in September 2017 and celebrated the brand’s 20th anniversary that same month. Its final post was dated April 28, 2018.
The cosmetics brand, which was established and founded in 1997 by Percassi, stocks a range of makeup, face and body treatments. Locally, there’s also a physical store in St Lawrence Street, in Bath, as well as others further afield in Reading and London, to name a few.
Set to open
Austen & Blake
Jewellery retailer Austen & Blake is another announced brand set to be opening a store at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway. The brand, which launched its first store in Manchester in 2018, now operates more than 15 jewellery stores across the UK – including one on Bristol’s Lower Castle Street.
Offering bespoke jewellery for everything from weddings and engagements to special occasions and everyday wear, Austen & Blake’s skilled artisans work closely with customers to bring their designs to life. An official opening date has not yet been announced.