News
Supermarket Income REIT shops for £104m of new assets
11th September 2026Supermarket Income REIT has acquired six grocery assets including a fully-let retail park for a total of £104m. Following the real estate investment trust’s exchange of contracts to acquire a portfolio of three supermarkets for £118m, the group said the proceeds from its £100m equity raise in July have now been fully deployed, at an average net initial yield of 6.6% and a weighted average unexpired lease term of 10 years. Included in the latest batch of acquisitions is a 74,000 sq ft Sainsbury’s supermarket in Macclesfield, which features a click-and-collect delivery service and home delivery vans. The asset has a triple-net unexpired lease term of 13 years and is subject to annual RPI-linked rent reviews with a 4% cap and 2% floor. The store produces a rental income of £37 per sq ft. In addition, the group has acquired an 80,000 sq ft Morrisons supermarket in Leeds, which also offers a click-and-collect delivery service. The store has a triple-net unexpired lease term of 13 years and produces a rental income of £21 per sq ft. The asset is subject to five-yearly RPI-linked rent reviews with a 4% cap and 0% floor. Supermarket Income REIT has also acquired an M&S-anchored retail park […]
Deals
SpudBros Express to open first-ever outlet location at Frasers Plus Designer Outlet Swindon
10th September 2026SpudBros Express is set to open its first-ever location within an outlet centre at Frasers Plus Designer Outlet Swindon. The fast-growing food brand – founded by brothers Jacob and Harley Nelson – will open the restaurant in partnership with brand platform Taster and franchise Ketch & Co. With 17 locations across the UK, SpudBros Express has rapidly grown from an independent family business into a nationally recognised brand. Nicky Lovell, head of outlets and retail business development at Global Mutual, said: “Alongside recognised national brands, we’re focused on identifying ambitious businesses that bring something new to the destination and reflect the way customer expectations continue to evolve. “SpudBros Express has built an impressive following in a remarkably short period of time. Choosing Frasers Plus Designer Outlet Swindon for its first outlet location is a strong endorsement of the destination and demonstrates our ability to attract exciting brands at key stages of their growth.” Jacob Nelson, co-founder of SpudBros, added: “Opening our first outlet location at Frasers Plus Designer Outlet Swindon is an exciting milestone for the business as we continue to expand into new locations across the UK. The destination’s strong regional catchment, established retail offer and reputation as one of 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
The rise of ‘treatonomics’: how changing spending patterns are affecting retail destinations
9th July 2026Times of economic difficulty and reduced consumer confidence have traditionally seen consumers tighten their purse strings, occasionally saving up for a larger purchase. But a recent shift in spending patterns suggests that shoppers are now shunning big-ticket purchases in favour of smaller, less expensive products or experiences. This concept, dubbed ‘treatonomics’, has been observed by Alex Petit, head of research and insights at Global Mutual, within the group’s portfolio of outlet shopping centres. “What we’ve seen is that cost-of-living crisis, combined with people wanting to keep on treating themselves, means that people are suddenly treating themselves on much smaller price points. That’s what we’re seeing with treatonomics”, she tells Completely Retail News. Data from the ONS found that despite increasing costs, sales volumes have remained broadly flat against pre-pandemic levels. This implies a shift towards consumers spending money less often, but instead choosing to make select purchases of higher values. “People are being very considered”, says Petit, “I think it comes from the pandemic as well, when we were all locked at home and we were deprived of a lot of things. People now have a slightly different outlook on life as there’s this hang-up psychologically, from us not being […]
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
Franchise business to roll out 75 Starbucks drive-throughs
10th September 2026A franchise business is set to open 75 Starbucks drive-through restaurants with the support of a £21m funding package from HSBC UK. The Magic Bean Co, a Starbucks national license partner, will open the 75 locations over the next five years, Insider Media has reported. Each of the coffee shops will offer electric vehicle charging, after The Magic Bean Co was awarded Starbucks’ exclusive National Electric Vehicle Channel License Agreement. Of the new sites, four have already opened and a further four sites are scheduled to open by the end of the year, including Port Talbot and Swindon and Netherton in September, followed by Lichfield in November. The Magic Bean Co anticipates that its turnover will more than double over the five-year period, growing from £34m to £68m. Jamie Evans, finance director at The Magic Bean Co, said: “HSBC UK has been with us from the very beginning, supporting us from the opening of our first Starbucks drive-thru in Cardiff in 2014 through to establishing our first revolving credit facility, which helped us expand from 19 sites to the 47 we operate today. This latest funding will support the continued rollout of our Starbucks drive-thru portfolio, enabling us to serve […]
