Intu Milton Keynes shopping centre has new operator

Intu Milton Keynes opened in 2000 as Midsummer Place

A major shopping centre has a new operator after the previous company went into administration.

Ellandi will be the new asset manager of Intu Milton Keynes, but Savills will run it day-to-day.

Intu appointed administrators KPMG in June after failing to agree financial restructuring terms with lenders.

The site will continue to be called Intu Milton Keynes until eventually being rebranded, said Ellandi co-founder Morgan Garfield.

Intu Milton Keynes is managed separately to Centre:mk which runs the shopping centre next door

Mr Garfield said: "For two decades, the centre has been an incredibly important focal point for the city's people and its economy.

"We're thrilled at the opportunity to continue its legacy and are committed to improving the existing offer with new operators and complimentary uses," he said.

Ellandi runs 25 other centres in places like Kettering in Northamptonshire, Great Yarmouth in Norfolk and Dartford in Kent. The company recently acquired Intu's Merry Hill centre in the west Midlands.

Shelley Peppard, general manager for Intu Milton Keynes, said: "The team at Ellandi shares our passion for Milton Keynes and the potential that our site has at the heart of Milton Keynes and its community."

Debenhams, which used one of the centre's biggest retail spaces, closed its store in March, but it will reopen as a Next on 2 October.