Posh shops for expensive togs (Shopping Areas in Milton Keynes)

Member Name: clumsy1974

Product:	Shopping Areas in Milton Keynes
Date:	07/11/00 (343 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Big, Shiny, New

Disadvantages: Expensive! A little bit "more of the same"

Milton Keynes Shopping center has grown an appendage (sort of). Midsummer Place is the newest, curvy roofed, building in CMK. It is a rather swish looking addition to what has to be one of the most space age off all shopping centers.

Midsummer Place is actually run by a completely different company than the origional Center:Milton Keynes (New marketing name). This becomes quite obvious when you look up at the edge of the elegantly arched roof and note that there is a three-foot gap between it ant the old building. The whole concept is centered around the oak tree (originally ear marked for felling) which stood beside the Point. I was pleased to see that this looks remarkably healthy. The vast plaza style arcade at the entrance is all under cover, but amazingly bright, thanks to glass panels in the ceiling. The main shopping area is on several levels, following the curved theme of the whole building.

The only complaint I have with the whole development is the content. It has a Debenhams, a long needed addition to CMK's portfolio, but the rest of the stores seem to be much of the same. Many of the retailers in the old CMK building have relocated to the new development, (so that leaves a few holes to be filled, hopefully with a better variety of shops) and the rest of the stores seem to be expensive clothing and shoe shops. Can the average MK resident afford Hugo Boss suits? There are some innovative outlets in there too. Try the Teddy Bear store, where you can create your own, personalized cuddly toy, complete with your own, recorded voice. There are also several empty units, which are still to be opened, and may hold a few surprises.

This brings me to my last point. The actual construction work is still unfinished. There is a lot to do externally, and the car parking around the site is not yet available. It would have been nicer, maybe, to hold fire until the whole site was completed, and the diggers cleared away before the grand open
ing. However, on the whole, it is a nice addition to what CMK already had to offer, maybe aimed more at the out of town shopper than the local, but worth a visit all the same.

Summary: