There was a real buzz in the air when our Style Squad team popped in to catch up with shoppers on their reasons for visiting and purchases they made on the day – with many of them lucky enough to be surprised with a £25 Gift Card to treat themselves! Visitors were enjoying everything from the unveiling of the new, larger JD Sports store, which had just opened, and booking last-minute getaways to holiday hotspots like Croatia and Portugal to picking up bargains in the summer sales and ticking off ‘Back to School’ shopping checklists.
With a fantastic mix of over 150 stores and restaurants to choose from, including Flannels, M&S, Waterstones, Rituals, Wingstop, Nando’s and wagamama – there’s something for everyone at The Centre, Livingston! Whether it was Clinique make-up purchases in Boots, a new best-selling book in Waterstones or dining out in one of the many eateries like Las Iguanas or NowNow Café, the one thing everyone we spoke to had in common was just how much they were enjoying this summer’s heatwaves, with even more sunny days on the horizon.
If you are planning a staycation this summer, you’ll find everything you need at The Centre, Livingston for a picnic on the beach. M&S has a great selection of picky bits, including Greek-style dips and Italian breadsticks, antipasti platters, sausage rolls and lots of great snacks – and a stylish wicker hamper with two side sections and a handy wine holder to pack it all in. Check out B&M too for trendy picnic blankets, cool boxes, drink dispensers and cup sets, and plates and cutlery packs, and Primark for trendy Mediterranean-style bowls and collapsible wine glasses. To keep the kids entertained and to ensure you have an even longer stay at the beach, The Entertainer has lots of beach toys, including a bucket and spade set and an ‘Out and About’ scoop ball game.
First up on the radar to catch up with was great friends Nicola Toal and Amy Callison, who came down from Fort William to spend the day shopping and enjoying a bite to eat.
Nicola said: “We both love shopping so this is the perfect day out for us. We have a few things on our list to get, including Back to School uniforms but on the whole, it is a day for us to browse, catch up and enjoy some quality time together.” Favourite, must-visit stores for the friends included Primark, New Look and Rituals for ‘me-time’ treats.
On the day we visited the shopping centre, there really was an extra special buzz in the air as people queued for the opening of the new, even bigger, JD Sports store.
One of the first customers was Larissa Fleming from Livingston. Larissa said: “I’ve always loved shopping in JD Sports – it is definitely one of my favourite stores to visit when I come to The Centre, Livingston. Today I picked up a pair of On Cloud trainers I’ve had my eye on for some time, a baseball cap and a couple of tops. The new store looks amazing – so much brighter and a lot more spacious – I will definitely be back again soon.”
It was great to chat to mum, Claire Henderson, and her son and daughter, who were visiting from Edinburgh to spend a day out at the shopping centre.
Claire said: “We have had a lovely day so far – I’ve managed to get lovely shorts for my daughter in Primark which she needed for our upcoming summer holiday to Majorca, and we are also planning a visit to the new JD Sports for my son who is a big fan of the store. We always pop by Auntie Anne’s for a treat too – the cinnamon nuggets are delicious, and for my daughter, no visit is ever complete without nipping into Build-A-Bear.”
Lastly, we caught up with the newly married couple, Lauren and Liam Mitchell from Falkirk, who were making a list of things to buy for their honeymoon on the ‘Chatty Bench’, which the shopping centre created as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations to encourage people to sit back and relax and enjoy being in the moment.
Lauren said: “We regularly visit The Centre, Livingston as it is nearby, but today was quite special for us as we are shopping for bits and pieces we need for our honeymoon to Morocco, which we are really looking forward to. We are planning to get some nice summer clothes from Primark and a couple of books from Waterstones, then complete our day out with a bite to eat from Las Iguanas, which is always our go-to favourite restaurant when we visit the shopping centre.”
Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “It was lovely to hear about our visitors’ stories recently on the day we opened the new, even bigger, JD Sports store – there was such a great atmosphere in the shopping centre! We were delighted to be able to give some lucky shoppers a £25 Gift Card to treat themselves to something nice.”