As Bluewater looks to lose one of its major anchor stores this year, we take a look at what other shops have been and gone at the shopping centre this year.

Earlier this year, House of Fraser, which occupies a large unit spanning both floors of the mall, in Greenhithe, revealed it would be shutting the shop after 25 years.

This week is understood to be the department store’s last seven days of trading, however, a spokeswoman for Bluewater said no official closing date has been set.

John Lewis was the first major tenant to sign up to Bluewater when plans for the centre were first announced in the 1990s, with fellow anchor tenants House of Fraser and Marks and Spencer following suit shortly after.

It is feared that the depature of House of Fraser could have a negative impact on other traders who benefit from the footfall produced by such a large shop.

Speaking previously, chief executive of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Tudor Price, said: “Customers may stop returning once they realise the anchor store is no longer there.

“If you have an empty store, whether it is small or large, it has a perspective impact on the experience.”

Following the announcment rumours were rife amongst shoppers regarding who would take over the unit but it has since been confirmed that clothing giant Next will be its next occupier.

Plans were submitted to Dartford council at the start of the month to alter the shopfront, facades, and roof of the building stating the proposed alterations “have been driven by a new tenant, Next.”

However, visitors will have to wait until the end of 2026 for the unit to be open.

Next already has a large branch at Bluewater which contains a Bath and Body Works section. It is not known what will be happening to its existing store.

House of Fraser is just one of the firms to depart the out-of-town shopping mall this year with 11 shops closing down in 2024.

In January, designer clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger shut its store with staff relocated to nearby branches and premuim cookware firm Le Creuset left following 10 years of trading at the centre.

Gift and stationery shop Mooch and clothing retailer Tessuti followed suit in May with Ted Baker ending its lease in August after the business behind the fashion brand’s UK shops fell into administration.

It closed all its branches for good in the summer after talks between the firm’s owner, Authentic Brands, and retail tycoon Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group stalled.

However, it seems September hit Bluewater the most the with six stores calling it quits including Charity Super.Mkt, Hyundai, Elements Home and Garden, Diesel and beauty kiosk Trinny London.

The much-anticpated SDMN clothing shop, which was YouTube senstaions The Sidemen’s first physical shop for their brand, also closed after only a year.

However, it was quickly replaced by Gravity Arcade which opened earlier this month.

And it has not been all doom and gloom for the popular centre as it has introduced new firms to the mall and saw many household names relocate to different units and upsize like Superdrug, JD and Office.

Eagle-eyed visitors will have noticed the likes of popular lifestyle store Oliver Bonas, sportswear merchandisers for MLB, NFL and NBA New Era, fast growing Chinese retailer MINISO, and Italian beauty brand KIKO opening early this year.

Footballing legends Rio Ferdinand, Bobby Zamora, Roberto Carlos and Mark Noble, also launched their multi-million-pound football entertianment centre, Ballerz.

The former English and Brazil Internationals played in a star-studded tournament in May to mark the launch of the first football dome of its kind in the country.

Speaking to KentOnline ahead of the match, Bobby Zamora, said: “I am here to have fun. It is about staying healthy and staying fit.

“I am getting old now, so I just want to be out there and enjoy myself.

“Anyone can come [to Ballerz] to enjoy themselves, challenge themselves, have some fun and hopefully learn one or two things as well whilst using the coaching.

“It is about having an amazing time, getting out being active and having fun.”

The 30,000 sq ft arena was designed by top former professional football players and coaches and promises to be one of the most immersive, competitive socialising experiences in the country.

As 2024 started to draw to a close many companies launched at Bluewater with some welcoming shoppers to their first Kent branches just in time for the Christmas rush.

Global clothing stores Bershka and Pull and Bear, cosemtics brand Aesop, Swedish fashion firm Lindex and homeware store Inside Story were just a few to make their debut in the county.

This year also saw the return of one of the most anticipated openings of the year, makeup giant Sephora.

More than 500 shoppers queued to be the first customers and recieve a free goody bag, including Tamara Wright and Joannes Joseph who arrived at 3am.

The pair, both from South London, met in the line and got chatting. They were 284th and 285th in the queue.

“It was spontaneous,” Tamara explained. “I left my house at 2am to get here for 3am. It was a rollercoaster.”

Joannes added: “I woke up in the middle of the night, checked my phone and realised it was today. I just put my clothes on and came straight here.

“I think Sephora is one of the few shops that actually has brands that cater to a lot of different people.

“Plus, you can never have too many lip-liners – I always have backups of backups.”

For the special event, Bluewater allowed people to camp overnight and several coffee shops, including Pret and Starbucks, opened from 4am to provide refreshments.

It was reported that the first customer started queuing at around 5.45pm the day before.

Read More: The shops we have lost and loved at Bluewater Shopping Centre

Read More: Is leisure the future of retail?

What would you like to see open inside the shopping centre? Comment below.