Latest Retail News

Australian fitness franchise appoints Rapleys as it targets UK expansion

7th August 2025

Australian fitness franchise Body Fit Training (BFT) has appointed strategic property consultancy Rapleys to support its UK growth. BFT – which operates 330 studios across 13 countries – is looking to expand its UK footprint on the back of openings in Battersea, Leicester, Hackney, and Croydon. With three more UK studios set to open in 2025, Rapleys has been appointed to find additional locations across London to bolster BFT’s growing portfolio. BFT and Rapleys are seeking sites ranging in size from 1,600 sq ft to 3,500 sq ft across a single level, with a minimum ceiling height of 3 metres and Class E planning use. Locations across London are being considered, with preference for highly visible high street positions, mixed-use developments, and railway archways. This comes after Rapleys’ recent appointment of the former Avison Young retail team to the business, including Ella Traynor and Lewis Sinclair who, led by Partner Dan Kent, will be working on the BFT instruction. Last month, Rapleys was instructed to support the Manchester Airport Group in delivering a new retail and F&B tenant mix within the £700m Stansted Airport expansion. It is also retained to source large-format stores for Sainsbury’s, as the retailer continues its strategic growth. Lewis Sinclair, associate […]

Aldi to open one store a week for rest of 2025

7th August 2025

Aldi is set to open an average of one store a week between now and the end of the year. In addition to the new openings, the supermarket retailer will refurbish 35 of its existing stores before the end of 2025. Locations in which Aldi will open new stores include: Aldi is set to invest around £650 million across the UK via its store opening and refurbishment programme in 2025. Jonathan Neale, managing director of national real estate at Aldi UK, said: “At Aldi, our goal is to make sure people across the UK have access to affordable, high-quality food, and opening new stores is key to making that happen. “We’re now opening an average of one new store a week for the rest of 2025, showing just how ambitious our plans are to build a store network that will help us reach millions of new customers. But it’s not just about openings – it’s also about making sure we have the best-paid teams in place to run them.”

News

Leisure operator bowls into Reading’s The Oracle

7th August 2025

Leisure operator Hollywood Bowl has opened at The Oracle shopping centre in Reading. Located within the former House of Fraser department store, the 38,000 sq ft venue features 24 bowling lanes and a sports bar, a first for Hollywood Bowl. The brand’s arrival at The Oracle adds to the scheme’s Riverside leisure offer, providing a key new footfall generator. The launch also follows the recent opening of a new 45,000 sq ft TK Maxx store at The Oracle and comes ahead of the opening of a new 40,000 sq ft Zara store next year. Earlier this year, Hollywood Bowl said it has a strong pipeline of new openings for 2025, and is on track to open 130 centres by 2035. Bruce Gillingham Pollard advised Hollywood Bowl. FMX Urban Property Advisers advised the landlord Hammerson.

Deals

New restaurant concept to join Salford’s Quayside

6th August 2025

The creators of Manchester-based restaurants Brewski and American Pies are set to launch a new concept, BIG TRAY BBQ, at Salford’s Quayside this autumn. Spanning 5,235 sq ft, the concept has been inspired by Brewski’s ongoing culinary tour of the United States of America, and will serve barbecue along with sides and sauces. Other dishes on offer will include brisket, jalapeño cornbread, jerk chicken sausage, and birria lamb shanks and ribs. Located in the heart of Salford Quays, Quayside offers a blend of retail, leisure, and dining experiences on the banks of Manchester’s Ship Canal. The development is home to retailers such as Marks & Spencer, Next, and The Body Shop. Ben Hey, asset director at Quayside, said: “The decision to introduce this new concept to Quayside, from one of Manchester’s most loved food brands, is a real testament to the growth of the area, and our exciting plans for the future. We know they’re going to bring something completely unique for our visitors, and we can’t wait to see the new concept thrive here at Quayside.” James Daly and Steven Stockton-King, co-founders of Brewski, added: “We’re delighted to be launching our latest concept BIG TRAY BBQ at Quayside later […]

PROPERTY OF THE WEEK

Completely Retail

Unit 4, Stanier Retail Park

Retail Warehouse unit within establish scheme, comprising ground floor of 6,309 sq ft with mezzanine ancillary accommodation of 663 sq ft. The subject scheme comprises 4 units of approximately 47,650 sq ft including a drive-thru Costa Coffee and Electric Vehicle Charging Bays. The scheme forms part of a large cluster comprising 172,900 sq ft of retail warehousing on Northfield Avenue. The units are of an institutional specification, built with the capability to take mezzanine floors. There are 211 spaces including the drive thru site and 10 EV charging bay.

Requirements

Suit Direct: “Nothing is off the table” as it targets new stores

23rd July 2025

“Nothing is off the table” for Suit Direct, as it looks to open up to 50 new locations over the coming years. The men’s formalwear retailer – which currently operates 30 stores – has renewed its long-standing partnership with Savills as it looks to identify suitable locations and grow its full-price offer. The brand has seen considerable growth over the last few years, having previously traded primarily from concessions within Debenhams department stores and outlet centres. Following Debenhams’ collapse in 2019, Suit Direct needed to replace a sizeable chunk of its revenue. “That’s when we embarked on the journey of going on to the high street with a full-price proposition”, Amanda Argent, retail director at Suit Direct, tells Completely Retail News. “We then engaged with Savills, who did a piece of research to support us in finding the locations we should be targeting. “We did go through a rapid amount of openings post-Covid, taking advantage of empty units where other retailers had collapsed. That has changed significantly now. Some of those stores worked really well, some were on short-term leases so we have lost them now, and some we still have”, she adds. Currently, the brand operates 10 outlet stores […]

Insights

Comment: Why outlet retail isn’t just surviving, it’s thriving

6th August 2025

For years, outlet retail was seen as a secondary option, a place for brands to offload end-of-line stock or for bargain hunters to pick up last season’s leftovers. Today, that perception is outdated. In fact, the outlet sector has not only weathered economic uncertainty but is a resilient and strategic channel in the UK retail mix.

Advice

Finding the right retail property for you

20th March 2024

Every business is unique, and for those who want to enter the world of physical retail, finding the right property is no different.

ALO Yoga continues UK expansion with Victoria Leeds signing

5th August 2025

ALO Yoga has signed for a new location at Redical’s Victoria Leeds. Opening in 2026 in Victoria Quarter, the 5,300 sq ft store will feature the lifestyle brand’s range of collections across women’s and men’s categories, including activewear, outerwear, accessories, and wellness. The new store will open as part of the brand’s continued expansion, joining more than 150 ALO Yoga locations globally. Earlier this year, the brand reached an agreement to open its first UK store outside of London on Manchester’s New Cathedral Street. The brand’s commitment to Victoria Leeds’ follows the recent news that Nobody’s Child, BYREDO, and TUMI, have all selected the destination for their regional debuts. Rachel Bradburn, head of leasing at Redical, said: “As an exceptional brand disrupting the activewear scene with an exciting product offering and a vast and dedicated online presence, ALO is exactly the type of brand we look for when expanding our premium brand mix at Victoria Leeds. This locating is highly anticipated amongst our fashion and wellness-conscious customers and further affirms Victoria Leeds’ leading position in the market.” Lunson Mitchenall and Central Retail acted for Victoria Leeds.

News

PURESEOUL expansion accelerated by £4.1m funding package

7th August 2025

Korean cosmetics retailer PURESEOUL’s continued expansion in 2025 was supported by a £4.1m deal with HSBC. The funding package supported the launch of three new PURESEOUL locations in 2025, including stores in Cambridge and Westfield Stratford, along with the retailer’s first multi-storey flagship on London’s Carnaby Street. In addition to new store openings, the funding will also support IT development across the businesses, including an inventory management facility to enable more efficient stock handling. Founded in 2019 as an e-commerce platform to address a lack of accessible Korean beauty products, the company has since opened nine stores, with more on the way before the end of the year. Leslie Tang, CEO at PURESEOUL, said: “Since opening our first physical store in 2022, PURESEOUL has grown more than 500% YOY, transforming from a niche online destination to the UK’s largest and most established K-Beauty curator. The response from our community has been incredible, with our Q1 store openings such as Startford Westfield drawing a record-breaking 1,500 PURESEOUL customers from across the country. “We’re grateful to HSBC UK and their dedicated team for the support as we continue to build momentum, marked most recently by the opening of our Carnaby flagship – […]

More Latest Retail News

St Enoch

Savills: UK shopping centre market showing signs of resilience

6th August 2025

The UK shopping centre investment market is showing signs of resilience a strategic repositioning, according to research from Savills. This builds on a strong 2024 that saw transaction volumes reach £2 billion – the highest level since 2017, and a 54% increase against the eight-year average. According to the international real estate advisor, whilst the first half of 2025 has seen a slowdown in activity, with £483 million transacted across 11 deals (down 40% against H1 2024), market fundamentals have remained strong. Savills said that investor appetite, particularly for prime and super prime assets, is undiminished, and the debt environment has markedly improved, with enhanced loan-to-value ratios and reduced borrowing costs making leverage more attractive. According to the research, the market is poised for renewed momentum – despite geopolitical uncertainty – with a healthy pipeline of stock presenting significant opportunities for the remainder of the year. Over £3.5 billion in high-quality shopping centre assets are in or expected to come to market over the next 12 months, comprising approximately 15 assets. However, Savills warned that there is a risk of oversupply during this period, potentially leading to some failed processes. Mark Garmon-Jones, director of retail investment at Savills, said: “We’re seeing a clear […]

Luxury outerwear brand picks Chelsea’s King’s Road for pop-up debut

6th August 2025

Luxury outerwear brand de Savary London is set to open its first-ever pop-up store at 322 King’s Road in Chelsea, London, part of the Sloane Stanley Estate. Open until the end of the year, the 1,644 sq ft store will be the brand’s first bricks-and-mortar space and offer its full collections of leather jackets, wool coats, tops, and trousers. The opening will add to a busy year of retail and pop-up activity across the Sloane Stanley Estate. Recent debut pop-ups within the estate include Minka Dink, which returned to the King’s Road for its second Chelsea pop-up this March, alongside other names such as Addison Ross, KayaNuka, and Wiggy Kit. Hannah Grievson, property director at Sloane Stanley, said: “As brands such as de Savary London take the leap into physical retail, it’s vital that they do so in a location that pulls in their core demographic, and a place that is trusted and well-known amongst the consumer to build excitement. Our location on the King’s Road not only brings the customer to the store, but our expertise makes that transition smoother by offering ongoing support as brands test the physical retail waters for the first time.” de Savary London joins...

Asian supermarket opens first East London store in Wapping

6th August 2025

Asian supermarket Starry Mart has opened its first store in East London at London Dock in Wapping. This marks the retailer’s sixth store to be launched in the UK, following successful openings in locations including Canterbury, Colchester, Fulham, and Wandsworth. Starry Mart – which originally only offered its products to UK customers online – specialises in food and beverages from countries including China, Japan, and Korea, alongside some South East Asian countries. Occupying 2,800 sq ft of space, the Wapping store offers products such as fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen dim sun, gyozas, instant noodles, and Asian ingredients. Alongside groceries, Starry Mart Wapping offers tableware, stationery, and anime toys, bringing Asian culture to the East London neighbourhood. The store also stocks a selection of skincare, cosmetics, and wellness products. The retailer joins a growing selection of independent cafés and restaurants within a new neighbourhood which is being delivered by St George, part of the Berkeley Group, and is located in close proximity to Tower Bridge and the City. Kathy Xue, director of Starry Mart, said: “Opening our first East London store at London Dock is an exciting and special moment for us, as it is also the first time we’ve launched within […]
News

Network Rail sees annual retail sales reach over £914m

5th August 2025

Network Rail recorded annual retail sales of £914.7m during the 2024/25 financial year across its portfolio of 19 managed stations in Great Britain. This was an increase of £73m (+8.7%) compared to 2023/24, representing a like-for-like increase of 5.8%. This was ahead of the wider retail market, which recorded a 0.6% total sales uplift and a 0.4% like-for-like increase for the same financial year (according to the British Retail Consortium). For the first time, two Network Rail stations achieved over £100m in sales each over the course of 12 months. London Waterloo generated £107.5m in total sales, bolstered by new openings such as Popeyes and the refurbishments of Boots, McDonald’s, and Benugo, while London Bridge was close behind, achieving £100.1m in total sales during the same period. Over the course of the year, 41 leases were signed by brands looking to join the Network Rail line up, with openings including German Doner Kebab, GAIL’s and Oseyo, alongside a further 27 pop-ups. Hamish Kiernan, commercial director of property at Network Rail, said: “2024/2025 was an exceptional year for our retail sales. By exceeding £100m in total retail sales in two of our destination stations we’ve demonstrated that when it comes to sales […]
News