The Stack boxpark in Newcastle is to close later this spring to make way for a major office development.
The food, drink and shopping hub was set up on the former Odeon site on Newcastle’s Pilgrim Street opened four years ago, using shipping containers to create a vibrant hub that aimed to bring new retail and leisure operators to the city centre. But plans for a major office block on the site that will house 9,000 staff from HMRC mean that Stack will close in May.
Staff and companies on the site were told of the closure this morning and the company behind the site has told of its sadness at having to close.
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Neill Winch, CEO of Stack owners Danieli Group, said: “It is with huge regret that we are announcing the closure of Stack Newcastle. After four years at Pilgrim Street, Stack Newcastle will close at midnight on Monday 2 May 2022 to make way for the Pilgrim Place development works. We have been working closely with the landlord to keep Stack on site for as long as possible, however, we have reached a stage in the Pilgrim Quarter redevelopment works that requires the land we occupy to be vacated.
"Although this is devastating for the team, tenants, and our customers, we have always known the site was going to be temporary and that there were longer term plans for the site to be redeveloped. The Pilgrim Quarter scheme is an exciting project bringing thousands of office workers into the city centre which will no doubt have a positive effect on the local economy and city centre businesses.
“This morning we had the difficult task of sharing this news with our staff and traders who are the backbone of the operation and have worked tirelessly over the past four years to bring you an exciting and unique venue. We can’t thank them enough for all of their hard work and dedication to making Stack the huge success it has become. Wherever possible we will be relocating staff to our other venues or supporting them to find new jobs.
“We know that the closure of Stack will also mean the closure of some of the independent street food/retail businesses. We appreciate this is not ideal, however, we strongly believe they have all created offerings that will continue to thrive as they find new premises, and we hope people will continue to support them at their other locations or new venues in the future.”
Stack said it had three million visitors over its four years and paid tribute to its “loyal customers”, who had “filled our venue with an unforgettable atmosphere, smiling faces and, best of all, joy.”
The success of the Stack development led to the opening of Stack Sunderland in 2020.
