2 October 2015

Mailbox set to unveil biggest milestone to date

Birmingham’s premier lifestyle and shopping destination, the Mailbox, has announced it will unveil the next phase of its transformation on Thursday 22nd October at 10am.

Following the openings of Harvey Nichols, Everyman Cinema, Gas Street Social and Aluna earlier this year, the unveiling of the brand new Urban Room completes the latest milestone in the Mailbox’s redevelopment.

With luxurious seating and finishes, a glass sky-lit roof and sleek store frontages, the Urban Room will form the centrepiece of the new Mailbox experience. Closed to the public after retail trading hours, it will also provide an impressive space for hosting the city’s events, exhibitions and social activities.

Last month, the Mailbox revealed that two American heavyweights, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, would be joining its line up of luxury retailers in the Urban Room.

Brands returning to the Mailbox include Boss, Armani Collezioni, LK Bennett, Jaeger and Gieves & Hawkes, alongside the new 45,000 sq ft Harvey Nichols, which opened its doors to the public in July.

Castle Fine Art will also be opening a new gallery within the retail mall, specialising in original and hand signed limited edition works, joining a host of other established names at the Mailbox including Toni & Guy, Nicky Clarke and the destination’s popular bars, restaurants and hotels.

Premium male fashion brand East Club and designer children’s boutique, Cloudo Kids, will be opening exclusive pop-up stores at the Mailbox and will be joined by a host of additional brands opening early in the New Year.

Paul Hanegraaf, creative navigator at development partner, Milligan, said, “Revealing the Urban Room is undoubtedly one of the most exciting phases throughout our entire redevelopment because it has completely transformed the look and feel of the Mailbox.

“It was very clear from our focus groups that our visitors wanted the Mailbox to retain its unique and exclusive status, providing a haven for luxury shopping. The Urban Room forms the centrepiece of the Mailbox’s customer experience, creating a brand new, elegant space.”

Simon Samuels, partner at Brockton Capital, comments, “I’m extremely proud to have achieved this exciting milestone in the repositioning of this exceptional mixed use asset.

“Alongside Everyman and the canalside restaurants and bars, the Urban Room will provide a fantastic feature for Mailbox customers, office staff, residents and hotel guests to enjoy.”

Samantha Robinson, head of brand and customer engagement at Milligan said,

“The Urban Room sets the scene for our whole approach at the new Mailbox, which will be enhanced in 2016 with the launch of our new technology platform, enabling us to deliver a superior customer experience every time people visit us whether they are shopping, dining, staying or working.

“Birmingham is enjoying a major retail renaissance and the Mailbox’s redevelopment, alongside the recent opening of John Lewis and Grand Central, offers yet another compelling reason to visit the city.”

A series of celebration events are planned to coincide with the unveiling of the Urban Room, including a series of specially curated panel sessions exploring themes around fashion, beauty, food and lifestyle, and artistic installations and performances inspired by the Mailbox’s new creative concept, Life Made Beautiful.

For a taster of Life Made Beautiful watch the first of the Mailbox’s new short films here.

For full details about the Mailbox’s celebration activity, visit www.mailboxlife.com.