Newcastle shopping destination Eldon Square appoints new director

A new boss has been appointed to lead Newcastle city centre’s premier shopping and leisure destination Eldon Square.

Helen Cowie has been named as the new centre director for Eldon Square, one of the UK’s most visited city centre shopping malls with more than 26.5m people stepping into its shops every year.

Ms Cowie, was born and raised in the region and has lived in the North East all her life, has more than 30 years of experience within retail, joining the centre after holding senior positions at high street retailer Marks and Spencer across a number of regions, including Scotland, North East and North West England.

She has visited Eldon Square from a young age and, stepping into the leadership role, says she is excited to be part of its future and passionate about boosting its reputation across the region.

She said: “I’m extremely excited to be joining Eldon Square during this transformational period for the centre. Eldon Square is more than just a shopping centre, it’s an integral part of Newcastle City Centre with a mission to elevate itself to becoming the go to retail and leisure destination in the North East. Along with my team, I look forward to continuing to enhance the shopping experience and making a positive impact on the future of this iconic Newcastle destination.”

Matthew Beddow, senior director of asset management at Eldon Square, said Ms Cowie’s experience in establishing new business streams will help drive innovation across all aspects of Eldon Square’s continuing development.

He added: “We are thrilled to welcome Helen Cowie to the Eldon Square team. Helen’s wealth of experience and passion for delivering an excellent customer experience will be instrumental in shaping the future of the centre. With her strong background in the sector and her deep understanding of the evolving retail, leisure and entertainment landscape, Helen is well positioned to lead Eldon Square through this exciting chapter.”

Ms Cowie’s arrival coincides with a major investment programme at Eldon Square, which provides more than 4,000 jobs across more than 140 retailers. New investments this year will include a huge new Next store, which will include a Bath and Body store, River Island’s relocation, and darts bar Flight Club. Elsewhere in the complex Freight Island – a huge entertainment and dining destination inspired by Coney Island in New York – is set to land in the former Debenhams unit later this year.