Bluewater Shopping Centre

Bluewater Shopping Centre
LocationStone, Kent, England
Coordinates51°26′23″N 0°16′16″E / 51.4396°N 0.2712°E / 51.4396; 0.2712
Opening date16 March 1999 (1999-03-16)
DeveloperLendlease
OwnerLandsec (55%)
Prudential (35%)
Hermes (10%)
ArchitectEric Kuhne
Stores and services300
Anchor tenants2 (Marks & Spencer & John Lewis)
Floor area1,675,955 square feet (155,701.3 m2)
Floors2 (3/4in parts)
Parking13,000 cars
39 Pod Point spaces
17 Tesla Spaces
15 coaches/motorhomes
Public transitBluewater bus stop (see below)
Websitebluewater.co.uk

Bluewater Shopping Centre (commonly known as Bluewater) is a large out-of-town shopping centre in Stone (postally Greenhithe), Kent, England, just outside the M25 motorway ring 17.8 miles (28.6 km) and nearby as well is the A2 road (England) 0.8 miles (1.3 km) east south east of London's centre. Opened on 16 March 1999 in a former chalk quarry after ten years of building works, the site (including car parks) occupies 240 acres (97 ha) and has a sales floor area of 154,000 m2 (1,600,000 ft2) over three levels, making it the fifth-largest shopping centre in the UK (after Westfield London, MetroCentre, Trafford Centre and Westfield Stratford City). Elsewhere in Europe only Istanbul's Cevahir Mall and Vienna's (Vösendorf) Shopping City Süd are bigger. The floor plan is a triangular shape with 210 stores, including three anchors, 50 cafés and restaurants, and a 17-screen cinema. The centre employs 7,000 people and serves over 28 million visitors a year. A main rival is the Lakeside Shopping Centre and its two retail parks in West Thurrock, Essex, just across the River Thames, 8 miles (13 km) away by road or 3.2 miles (5.1 km) as the crow flies.

It is owned by three major UK institutions: Landsec (55%), Prudential and PRUPIM (35%) and Hermes (10%).