St Anns

St Anns is a shopping centre in Harrow town centre in Greater London, England. It occupies a prominent position between College Road, opposite Harrow-on-the-Hill station, and the pedestrianised St Anns Road, giving it both a transport-oriented entrance and a town-centre shopping frontage. The centre has two principal entrances and currently provides approximately 280,000 square feet of retail space. The shopping centre opened in 1987 as part of the redevelopment of central Harrow. Its construction substantially changed the local urban fabric: several existing buildings were demolished to create the scheme, including the former site associated with Heathfield School for Girls and the old Greenhill School. Heathfield School had relocated to Pinner in 1982, while the former Greenhill School site later became associated with the Marks & Spencer store within the centre. St Anns was formally opened by Diana, Princess of Wales, on 18 November 1987, giving the development a notable civic and ceremonial opening. The centre’s retail offer is built around a mix of national high-street chains and convenience-oriented services. Reported tenants include H&M, Primark, Marks & Spencer, Boots and WHSmith. Its second floor contains a dedicated food court with outlets including Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, Treatz Dessert Parlour and Subway. The combination of fashion, value retail, department-store merchandise, pharmacy and food service positions St Anns as a conventional enclosed town-centre shopping destination serving Harrow and surrounding parts of northwest London. Retail occupancy has changed over time in response to the withdrawal and expansion of individual chains. A large Primark unit was previously occupied by British Home Stores until BHS entered collapse in 2016. Primark had originally operated from a smaller unit at St Anns that had previously been associated with C&A, after C&A withdrew from the British market. Following the relocation of Primark into the larger former BHS space, Lidl took over the vacated smaller unit in 2019, adding a supermarket component to the centre’s tenant mix. Physical improvements have also been made to the public realm. In the mid-2010s, the steps at the St Anns Road entrance were removed as part of an accessibility project, accompanied by repaving of the road. This work improved step-free access and adjusted the relationship between the centre and the pedestrianised street. St Anns remains an active shopping destination rather than a standalone consumer-goods brand; its identity is tied to the Harrow town-centre location, its tenant mix and its role as a retail and food hub.

St Anns was developed as part of the redevelopment of Harrow town centre and opened in 1987. The project required the demolition of a number of existing buildings and followed earlier changes to local institutions, including the relocation of Heathfield School for Girls to Pinner in 1982. The former Greenhill School site was incorporated into the redevelopment and is now associated with the Marks & Spencer presence at the centre. The centre was officially inaugurated on 18 November 1987 by Diana, Princess of Wales. Its layout connects College Road, opposite Harrow-on-the-Hill station, with St Anns Road, a pedestrianised town-centre street. The two entrances have helped the scheme function as both a destination for rail and town-centre visitors and part of the surrounding pedestrian shopping area. The centre is reported to cover about 280,000 square feet of retail space and to accommodate more than 40 high-street brands. Over time, St Anns’ tenant mix has reflected wider changes in British retail. Its stores have included H&M, Primark, Marks & Spencer, Boots and WHSmith, while a second-floor food court has hosted brands such as Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, Treatz Dessert Parlour and Subway. One notable sequence involved the former British Home Stores unit. BHS occupied a large store at the centre until the retailer’s collapse in 2016. Primark subsequently moved from its smaller St Anns location into the larger former BHS premises. The smaller unit had originally been associated with C&A, which left the British market before Primark occupied it. In 2019, Lidl took the smaller unit after Primark’s relocation, broadening the centre’s offer to include supermarket shopping. The public realm around the centre has also been modified. In the mid-2010s, the steps at the St Anns Road entrance were removed to improve accessibility, and the street was repaved. The intervention made the entrance easier to use for people with limited mobility and improved the connection between the shopping centre and the pedestrianised road. The name follows the St Anns Road spelling: the centre officially omits the apostrophe in “Anns.” Today, St Anns remains an active Harrow retail complex whose role is defined by its central location, transport access, national-chain tenant base, food court and evolving occupancy rather than by a single proprietary product brand.

• 2019

  Lidl joins the tenant mix

  [1]St Anns (Harrow)en.wikipedia.org

  Lidl took the smaller unit vacated when Primark moved into the former BHS space.

• 2016

  BHS leaves its large unit

  [1]St Anns (Harrow)en.wikipedia.org

  The British Home Stores store closed following the retailer’s collapse, creating a large vacant unit later occupied by Primark.

• 2010

  St Anns Road entrance accessibility works

  [1]St Anns (Harrow)en.wikipedia.org

  In the mid-2010s, the steps at the St Anns Road entrance were removed and the road was repaved to improve accessibility.

• 1987

  St Anns opens

  [1]St Anns (Harrow)en.wikipedia.org

  St Anns shopping centre opened in Harrow town centre and was formally inaugurated by Diana, Princess of Wales, on 18 November.

• 1982

  Heathfield School for Girls relocates

  [1]St Anns (Harrow)en.wikipedia.org

  Heathfield School for Girls moved to Pinner before the redevelopment that made way for the St Anns shopping centre.

A central Harrow shopping destination combining national high-street retailers, value fashion, essential services, groceries and quick-service food in a transport-accessible town-centre setting.

• Retail offer

  Fashion and high-street retail

  St Anns provides fashion and general high-street shopping through national chains including H&M and Primark. The offer spans value-led clothing, seasonal ranges and related general merchandise, with Primark’s larger store becoming a prominent tenant after its move into the former BHS unit.

• Retail offer

  Department-store and essential retail

  The centre’s essential and general merchandise offer includes Marks & Spencer, Boots and WHSmith. These tenants provide clothing and household-related merchandise, pharmacy and health products, books, stationery and convenience items.

• Food service

  Food court

  A dedicated food court on the second floor complements the retail stores with quick-service and casual food outlets. Reported operators include Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, Treatz Dessert Parlour and Subway, giving visitors a range of takeaway meals, snacks and desserts.

• Grocery retail · 2019

  Lidl supermarket

  Lidl became part of the centre’s retail mix in 2019 after taking the smaller unit previously occupied by Primark. Its presence added supermarket groceries and everyday food shopping to the centre’s existing fashion, services and food-court offer.

• 2019

  Lidl occupies the former smaller Primark unitM&A

  Background

  Primark’s move into the former BHS store left its previous, smaller unit available within the shopping centre.

  Action taken

  Lidl took the vacated unit, adding a supermarket operator to St Anns.

  Aftermath

  The change diversified the tenant mix by introducing grocery shopping alongside fashion, services and food outlets.

  Source

• 2016

  Reallocation of the former BHS unit to PrimarkStrategy

  Background

  British Home Stores collapsed in 2016, leaving its large St Anns store unavailable for continued trading.

  Action taken

  Primark moved from its smaller centre unit into the larger former BHS premises.

  Aftermath

  The relocation created a larger Primark presence at St Anns and released the smaller former Primark unit for another retailer.

  Source

• 2010

  Accessibility improvement at St Anns Road entranceStrategy

  Background

  The steps at the St Anns Road entrance created a physical barrier between the pedestrianised street and the shopping centre.

  Action taken

  The steps were removed and the road surface was repaved as part of mid-2010s accessibility works.

  Aftermath

  The entrance became easier to access, particularly for people with mobility limitations.

  Source

1. 1St Anns (Harrow)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2St Anns Shopping Centre official websitestannsshopping.co.uk