Batley Plaza opening brings new businesses and entrepreneurs to town

Batley Plaza is a new development by Z&F Properties, in partnership with Kirklees Council, which aims to benefit both the local community and young business people.

The shopping centre, which held a “soft opening” earlier this month, is a 24-store complex on Commercial Street featuring retail outlets and new eateries.

The development was initially due to open in 2020, but Covid-19 restrictions resulted in the opening being pushed back by 18 months.

Zahid Iqbal, director of Z&F Properties and owner of Batley Plaza, said: "With Batley Plaza we were aiming for a specific feel and always knew we wanted the traders to be local people.

"A lot of the businesses that are in there are brand-new businesses who were looking for space to trade.

"There is one specific unit called Sprinkle Station, which is just a fantastic concept that I can see being turned into a franchise and becoming a big operation in a few years.

"We have a lot of small young businesses there which will hopefully grow - that is exactly what happened in our other scheme.

"This weekend is the grand opening and hopefully by then all of the units will be open.

"With a scheme like this it is very difficult to open everything in one go because you're dealing with 20-30 small businesses who all work at different rates.

"It will be amazing to see how the businesses grow once they get up and running.”

Leader of Kirklees Council, Coun Shabir Pandor, joined Zahid on April 16 to cut the ribbon and to see the new development first-hand.

Coun Pandor said: “It was a privilege to cut the ribbon to open the new Batley Plaza.

“The quality of the work is outstanding and this will definitely open up more opportunities for everyone in Batley and our region of Yorkshire.

“Zahid from Z&F Properties has developed a very high quality retail centre in the heart of Batley that will attract local entrepreneurs and provide something for everyone.

“Batley Plaza is more than just good quality shops. It’s about bringing a whole new concept to meet future challenges in small towns.

“It’s a whole new experience that caters for everyone, all backgrounds, all ages where people can meet, socialise and have some fun with friends and family.”

Z&F Properties worked in partnership with Kirklees to develop and deliver the development.

Zahid, who also owns the successful Bradford Plaza and the Packhorse Centre in Huddersfield, said that Kirklees Council was “on board” from day one and is now “very happy” with the final development.

David Shepherd, Kirklees Council’s strategic director for growth and regeneration, said: “The council is always happy to work with new businesses that are looking to open in Kirklees.

“We recognise the contribution businesses like this make to the local economy in terms of employment and leisure opportunities.

“Towns like Batley offer lots of opportunities for entrepreneurs to build on an already vibrant local economy with good transport links and proximity to cities like Leeds and Bradford.

“Our expert advisors are available to provide business support advice to anyone looking to invest in Kirklees, open a new business or to expand an existing one.”

Some of the businesses located in the Plaza include: Candy Zone; Sehriaraz; Goher Special; Alleenas; Scent Salim; Larosh Collection; Eliza’s; Moonies; Sprinkle Station; Sapphire Cafe and many more.

A member of the Sprinkle Station team said: "We are really excited to bring something new to Batley - it's something that hasn't really been seen here before.

"I am really excited about the grand opening taking place this weekend, I am sure it will bring a lot of people in."

Ehsann Hussain, spokesperson from Scent Salim, said: "It has been incredible and honestly from the start we have had a lot of sales.

"They have done an incredible job on the Plaza and hopefully by the time more stores open, we will get more people in and it will be a great achievement.”

Although some of the units opened on April 16, the grand opening of Batley Plaza will take place on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1, between 10am and 11pm.