Hammerson teams up with Waymap to transform central Birmingham accessibility

Hammerson has partnered with Waymap, the personal navigation app, to boost accessibility across Bullring and Grand Central in the heart of Birmingham. The app works indoors, outdoors and underground without the need for GPS, helping more users to find their way around large, often complex environments like shopping areas, stadiums, hospitals and transport hubs.

Waymap is now live, allowing visitors to experience audio and on-screen instructions across the entire Bullring and Grand Central estate, totaling over 1.5 million sq ft of space and featuring over 200 shops, restaurants and leisure activities. It means customers can navigate easily between key locations, ideal for those with reduced visibility or who need additional help with access to spaces. Personalisation of the app means features such as stairs or lifts can be selected or avoided as users choose the best route options to suit their needs.

Waymap is already present at Birmingham New Street, meaning visitors can benefit from accessible access from the moment they leave the train. With over 47 million customer visits a year to Bullring and Grand Central, this latest investment is designed to further improve customer experience and broaden the range of those able to visit and enjoy one of the UK’s leading retail destinations.

It’s the latest boost to Bullring and Grand Central accessibility, with plans in place for further improvements. In 2026, new tactile braille maps will be installed for all customer facing toilets, while new sensory maps and autism-friendly visual guides will be available to customers to help plan their visits.

“We’re delighted to be helping all users find their way around the amazing shops and amenities at Birmingham’s Bullring and Grand Central,” said Celso Zuccollo, Waymap’s CEO, “While Waymap’s step-by-step audio and on-screen instructions are particularly helpful for blind users and disabled users, they can help anyone get to the exact shops and amenities they want to visit. The indoor world is the next frontier of geospatial innovation, and we’re delighted to be working with technology-forward organisations like Hammerson.”

Toby Tait, Director Asset Management in UK at Hammerson, said: “At Hammerson, we want to ensure our destinations are as accessible as possible, for everyone. We’re collaborating with Waymap to provide a uniquely accessible route throughout our flagship destination at Bullring and Grand Central, with the additional benefit of connecting to the UK’s busiest regional train station. We are making our retail destinations easier to navigate and enjoy for all customers, with journeys tailored to those with a range of access requirements.”