News
Bruce Gillingham Pollard appoints former LEON acquisition boss to tenant representation team
6th October 2026Bruce Gillingham Pollard has appointed Beth Emmens as a director within its tenant representation team. She joins from LEON, where she spent 14 years. Most recently, Emmens was UK head of acquisitions at the restaurant chain. In her new role, she will take responsibility for driving the food and beverage arm within tenant representation. Beth Emmens said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Bruce Gillingham Pollard at such an exciting time for the hospitality industry. I’ve spent much of my career working closely with restaurant brands and have a real passion for the people, places and ideas that make our restaurant scene so special. I’m looking forward to bringing that experience and insight to BGP, working with some incredible hospitality businesses and helping to grow the tenant representation business at such a pivotal point in its development.” Rupert Bentley Smith, equity director at Bruce Gillingham Pollard, said: “Beth will play a key role in the continued growth of our Tenant Representation team. Her extensive experience and understanding of the hospitality sector will be a real asset to the team and the wider business, and we look forward to seeing the impact she makes as we continue to grow our work with […]
Deals
British Land secures over 11,500 sq ft of leasing activity at Plymouth’s Drake Circus
2nd October 2026British Land is set to welcome The Body Shop and Claw City to Drake Circus shopping centre and The Barcode in Plymouth, building on the recent openings of Skechers, Black Sheep Coffee, and Oh My Kimchi. Together, the deals represent around 11,500 sq ft of leasing activity. Beauty and skin care retailer The Body Shop has taken a 1,175 sq ft store at Drake Circus. This marks the return the retailer to the destination and forms part of the company’s renewed investment in its physical estate. Meanwhile, experiential leisure operator Claw City will be opening a 2,000 sq ft location at The Barcode, bringing its new all-claw-machine concept to the destination. Dedicated entirely to the popular arcade game, the venue will offer an interactive leisure experience for visitors. These new lettings build on a busy summer of activity at Drake Circus, including the recent relocation of Skechers on New George Street. The new 3,700 sq ft concept store looks to provide an enhanced retail experience, with more room for customers to browse the brand’s latest ranges of footwear, apparel, and accessories. Black Sheep Coffee also made its Plymouth debut in September, taking 3,420 sq ft across two floors on the […]
Requirements
Costa Coffee brews up further expansion
8th September 2026Costa Coffee has unveiled its latest property requirements as it looks to continue its expansion across England, Scotland, and Wales. The coffee shop chain, working with its long-standing partner Savills, is looking to open new locations in retail parks and shopping centres, as well as on high streets and within travel locations. Costa Coffee is also looking to open drive-through units in out-of-town retail locations. Ideal units will range in size between 1,250 sq ft and 2,200 sq ft and be located adjacent to foodstores, retail warehousing, and leisure space. Within retail parks, Costa is seeking units ranging between 1,500 sq ft and 2,500 sq ft in size with external seating. Freestanding or in-line units will be considered, with nearby car parking a necessity. Ideal units will be situated in out-of-town locations with significant traffic flow, adjacent to foodstores, and retail and leisure clusters. In high street and shopping centre destinations, Costa is looking for units between 1,500 sq ft and 2,500 sq ft with outside seating. Locations such as universities, hospitals, and leisure destinations will also be considered. The operator is also looking to open new sites within travel locations such as transport hubs and train stations with significant […]
Insights
Alliance Retail Exchange: Retail space is the name of the game in the out-of-town market
2nd October 2026A lack of quality out-of-town space continues to be the challenge faced by retailers in 2026, according to the delegates Completely Retail News spoke to at September’s Alliance Retail Exchange (ARX) event. Demand for retail warehousing space remains high, but many retailers and operators are continuing to find a lack of churn to be the biggest obstacle to their expansion plans. As a result, rents are expected to grow, while landlords and prospective tenants are having to be more creative to create new opportunities in the out-of-town market. This may lead to the development of new stock, the splitting of existing units, or the creation of new formats. The event, which was sponsored by PureGym, was held at The Brewery in London and attracted over 500 delegates, including agents, landlords, and retailers. The morning of the event saw a welcome speech and breakfast before the floor was opened to dealmaking. This was followed by a presentation by Savills’ Sam Arrowsmith and George Trimmer, which looked at the lack of out-of-town space available to retailers. The presentation highlighted how, outside of drive through formats and bespoke discount grocery stores, no new stock is coming to the market. That said, the general […]
Advice
Turn lease events from growing pains into commercial gains
10th March 2026By Simon Matley, director for dilapidations and occupier services at TFT After a period of acquisition, a large commercial retail portfolio can become either a major liability or a powerful cost saver for retailers who need every advantage they can get in a challenging consumer market. For national multiples and high street brands, often with sizeable portfolios numbering in the hundreds of units, or for smaller regional operations that are growing at speed, flexibility and control are hugely important. Brands today are adapting their portfolios in light of changing consumer behaviour and omni-channel retailing, and this is shaped by the increasingly sophisticated data capture that allows them to better understand stock, fulfilment, customer behaviour, and operations. For many who have been acquiring premises over the past 10 years, they will almost certainly find that data allows them to be more efficient in the space they need, not least because of the growth of last mile logistics and on demand deliveries which enables occupiers to be nimble in how they use their spaces. Whether they operate on the high street, in retail parks or rely on distribution centres, retailers want to scale fast, explore new territory and snap up the right […]
News
Kiehl’s marks 175th anniversary with Carnaby Street opening
2nd October 2026Kiehl’s has marked its 175th anniversary with the opening of a flagship space at 43 Carnaby Street in Soho, London. The beauty and wellness brand – which was founded in 1851 in New York – will open a 1,300 sq ft space, spanning three floors. The boutique offers a variety of cosmetic products including face creams and UV serums. The opening marks the second standalone boutique for Kiehl’s in the West End, joining 55 Monmouth Street, which was a recent upsize for the brand. Both openings were secured by landlord Shaftesbury Capital. William Oliver, director of retail and restaurant leasing at Shaftesbury Capital, said: “Bringing Kiehl’s to the heart of Carnaby Street strengthens a great partnership. Having worked closely with the brand on an upsize in Seven Dials, this new store ensures more visitors to the West End can explore and experience a quality offer, building brand loyalty and pointing to the power of having prime space as both a direct retail environment and showroom for the online customer. That Kiehl’s wanted to launch this European flagship on Carnaby Street, in its 175th year, also highlights just how highly-regarded the destination is, and how important it is for unmatched brand […]
