The proposed new retail quarter will cover the area from Barkers Pool to Pinstone Street and the top of the Moor. An expanded Cole Brothers department store will form the hub of the scheme. A Sheffield City Council spokeswoman said the developers will be judged on a range of criteria including their ability to attract big retail names not currently present in the city centre, their creativity and imagination, and their track record.

At up to 600,000 sf, the scheme is one of the biggest retail projects in the pipeline in the UK. Retailing in Sheffield city centre has been in need of a kickstart for over a decade, ever since the opening of the 1.3 million sf Meadowhall mall on the outskirts of the city.

Alison Nimmo, Chief Executive of Sheffield One – Sheffield City Council's regeneration agency - said: 'We are aiming to develop the next generation of city centre retailing so we are looking for a partner with outstanding creative and commercial flair. The new quarter will make a huge impact on the regeneration of the city centre, bringing new jobs and prosperity, and putting Sheffield at the forefront of retailing in the UK.'