News
Agent appointed to transform Kensington High Street block into lifestyle hub
13th April 2026Retail, leisure, and placemaking agency P-Three has been appointed as sole letting agent at 176-206 Kensington High Street, London by Knight Frank Asset Management on behalf of a private client. The asset comprises 57,000 sq ft of retail space across 15 retail units across both ground and lower ground floors, offering 105 metres of frontage onto Kensington High Street. P-Three has been tasked with delivering long term rental growth, driving footfall and dwell time, and creating a defined sense of identity for the block. P-Three said its strategy will focus on repositioning the asset as a lifestyle-led location with a tenant mix that focuses on active, everyday living that serves local residents, office workers and park users, complementing the core high street offering. The firm will look to build on the area’s existing specialist sports retail, travel, fitness and wellness operators with high quality cafés and health-led food outlets. Kensington High Street is underpinned by a wealthy residential catchment and substantial daytime footfall. High Street Kensington station records approximately 12 million passenger movements annually, with around 23,000 office workers located within a half-mile radius. The area has enjoyed positive leasing momentum over recent years, with retailers such as Lululemon, Mango, […]
Deals
Korean beauty brand PURESEOUL to make East Midlands debut at Leicester’s Highcross
9th April 2026Korean beauty brand PURESEOUL is set to open its first store in the East Midlands at Highcross in Leicester. The fast-growing retailer will take a 1,759 sq ft unit on the scheme’s lower mall, near Earnest Jones Jewellers. Opening in May, the new location joins PURESEOUL’s existing UK stores in cities such as Brighton, London, and Manchester. Also joining Highcross Leicester is footwear retailer Office, which will open in a 3,369 sq ft unit. Offering leading global brands alongside its own in-house collections, Office makes its return to the scheme, having been a tenant until 2021. Michelle Menezes, Centre Director at Highcross Leicester, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming PURESEOUL to Highcross, marking its official debut in the East Midlands. We’ve seen first-hand just how the K-beauty boom has swept through the UK, with consumers searching for tips on how to achieve ‘glass skin’ and ‘chok chok’—otherwise known as a dewy glow. So we’re excited to be able to bring that advice, and the innovative products, closer to home. “This, alongside the return of a household brand like Office, reaffirms our ambition to bring well-known names and trend-led retailers to the heart of Leicester. Beyond these arrivals, there’s plenty more […]
Requirements
Wahaca appoints agents to support UK expansion
25th March 2026P-Three has been appointed by contemporary Mexican restaurant group Wahaca to support its rollout across the UK. The retail, leisure, and placemaking agency is targeting launches in new cities including Cambridge, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham, as well as expanding the group’s presence in London. P-Three is seeking units ranging between 2,500 sq ft and 4,500 sq ft in size, which will be converted into Wahaca’s style, inspired by the modern culture seen in contemporary Oaxaca. Thomas Rose, co-founder at P-Three, said: “Wahaca has firmly established itself as one of the UK’s most authentic and lively restaurant groups, offering diners a bold, fresh and modern take on Mexican street food. A longstanding client of P-Three, we are excited to be supporting Wahaca with this next phase of growth and look forward to helping them bring their concept to new cities and locations across the UK.” Mark Selby, co-founder and chair at Wahaca, added: “After the huge success of our Paddington opening in 2024 and the incredible feedback on Wahaca Reimagined across our 14 individually designed restaurants, we are excited to be once again looking to bring Wahaca’s unique restaurant experience to different areas of the UK. We want to find buildings that lend […]
Insights
Rethinking healthcare delivery: the case for retail parks in easing NHS pressure
10th April 2026By Lauren Chew, senior asset manager at Redevco Pressures on NHS services are well recognised and have prompted an important conversation about how care can be delivered more effectively, accessibly and closer to people’s daily lives. While demand continues to outpace traditional capacity, recent evidence shows that when primary care access is limited, patients often look elsewhere for support. The Care Quality Commission’s State of Care report (October 2025) highlighted this system-wide impact, noting that 6.6% of respondents to the 2025 GP Patient Survey attended A&E because they were unable to contact their GP or were uncertain about next steps. Together, these insights underline the opportunity, and necessity, to innovate beyond conventional healthcare settings and rethink how and where services can best meet patient needs. Herein lies a key opportunity: retail parks are already embedded in everyday life. With high footfall, strong transport links and often free parking, they are uniquely placed to support public health by meeting people where they already are – offering a level of accessibility that many traditional healthcare settings struggle to match. Unlike clinical environments, which can feel formal or intimidating, retail parks are familiar and convenient spaces, making them ideal locations for healthcare initiatives, […]
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
Frasers Group eyes £400m outlet centre double acquisition
10th April 2026Frasers Group is looking to acquire two outlet shopping centres for a combined fee of around £400m. The group is looking to acquire the McArthur Glen-managed centres in York and the East Midlands from Aviva Investors, CoStar News has reported. Spanning 350,000 sq ft, York Designer Outlet is home to tenants such as M&S, H&M, Nike, and Paul Smith. East Midlands Designer Outlet extends to 230,747-square-foot and is home to over 65 brands. Constructed in 2002, the designer outlet centre is located on Normanton Road, approximately 6.5 miles southwest of Mansfield. These reports come after Frasers Group acquired Swindon Designer Outlet last autumn. Situated within the historic Great Western Railway buildings in the centre of Swindon, the outlet centre extends to 250,000 sq ft and comprises 110 units. Frasers Group has been one of the most acquisitive groups within the UK retail investment market over recent years. The group acquired Glasgow’s Braehead Shopping Centre in November 2025 and Waterfront Retail Park in Greenock in September. CBRE is advising Frasers, whilst Morgan Williams is advising Aviva Investors.
