Springfields Designer Outlet & Leisure

Springfields Designer Outlet & Leisure is a major outlet centre in Spalding, Lincolnshire.

Springfields

An aerial view of Springfields in 2018
Location	Spalding, Lincolnshire, England
Coordinates	52.79920°N 0.12755°W / 52.79920; -0.12755
Address	Springfields Outlet Centre, Camel Gate, Spalding PE12 6EU
Opening date	1 May 2004
Developer	Thornfield Properties
Management	SLR Outlets Limited
Owner	UBS Triton Property Fund
No. of stores and services	55
Total retail floor area	200,000 sq ft
Parking	1,400 spaces
Public transit access	Spalding 37, 301, 505 and B3X bus routes
Website	Official Website

Stores

As of 2024, the mall had 55 stores across its 45 acre site.^[1] Outlet brands at Springfields include Marks & Spencer, Joules, Skechers, Radley, Next Outlet, Levi's, Jack Wills, Molton Brown and Clarks.^[2] Places to eat include Costa Coffee, Caffe Nero and The Parlour, an Edwardian formal-style restaurant operated by Blue Diamond.^[3]

Garden History

During the 1920s, millions of visitors came by train, coach and car to tour the special tulip routes in the Spalding area, which has established itself as the centre of the British flower bulb industry. As such in 1959, over 200,000 people attended the first Spalding Tulip Parade.^[4]

Springfields' Gardens were opened to the public in 1966 for the first time. A charity organisation, Springfields Horticultural Society, was formed to manage the gardens which raised public awareness about the growing and cultivation of flowers from bulbs, and the broader social benefits of horticulture and gardening as a means of relaxation and enjoyment.

After decades of popularity, public interest in the Gardens began to wane, and maintenance of the gardens became difficult to sustain, even for the short 8-week spring flower season.

Several ideas were considered for funding new investment into the gardens, and eventually a plan was agreed upon with development partner Thornfield Properties, seeing the first Outlet Village in Lincolnshire being approved.^[5] Sheffield-based entrepreneur Ian Sanderson oversaw the project and remains to this day the developer, asset manager and centre director of Springfields.^[6]

Location and transport links

Springfields is located in Spalding, at the junction of the A16 and A151. The nearest rail connection is Spalding railway station, around 20 minutes from Peterborough. Multiple bus links service the centre including the 37, 301, 505 and B3X.^[7]