News
Former Chesterfield M&S gets new lease of life with Tesco signing
5th December 2025Tesco is set to open a new store on Chesterfield High Street after signing as the new tenant at the former Marks & Spencer building. The building, located at 2-8 High Street, has been vacant since M&S relocated to Ravenside Retail Park in 2022 after decades of trading. The ground floor has since been split into three units, with the central 5,000 sq ft space now set to accommodate a Tesco Express store. The supermarket retailer is expected to open at the end of January 2026, with Tesco taking a 15-year lease. Commercial property agency FHP Property Consultants brokered the deal on behalf of the landlord, ALB Group, which has already begun plans to rejuvenate the property ready to hand over to Tesco. The group is also creating two additional ground floor retail units of similar size within the same block, which it said are already attracting strong interest from national and regional occupiers. Arran Bailey, managing director for ALB Group, said: “This deal is another example of our commitment to breathing new life into key town and city centres across the UK. The former M&S site is in a prime location, and securing Tesco is a huge vote of confidence in Chesterfield’s high street. We’re delighted to play a part in supporting local employment […]
Deals
Trio of independents join London’s redeveloped Sicilian Avenue
4th December 2025Sicilian Avenue, the redeveloped and pedestrianised dining and lifestyle destination in Central London, is welcoming a trio of independent businesses as its first tenants. Located in close proximity to Holborn Station, Sicilian Avenue comprises 70,000 sq ft of renovated offices above 17,500 sq ft of retail and food and beverage space with Al Fresco seating. Set against the backdrop of Bloomsbury Square and a six-minute walk from The British Museum, Sicilian Avenue’s developers are looking to revitalise the street to create a vibrant consumer destination in the heart of Bloomsbury. The first of the new businesses to arrive is Flying Horse Coffee, which opened its doors this month at No.1 Sicilian Avenue – on the corner of Southampton Row. At its first Central London location, Flying Horse Coffee offers customers a range of brews alongside toasties and bagels. Also joining Sicilian Avenue is wellness brand BACKWORKS, which will open in spring 2026. The drop-in space will offer fully-clothed, seated massages on ergonomic chairs, designed for time-pressed business owners, workers, students, visitors, and locals. Rounding out the new arrivals is Japanese café MATCHADO, also opening next spring. Founded in 2019, the brand will offer a range of Japanese tea, including matcha, as […]
Requirements
M&S expands search for new sites as it looks to double size of food business
25th November 2025Marks & Spencer has expanded its search for new properties as the retailer aims to double the size of its food business. The retailer has launched a list of 500 new target locations across the UK it is considering for new and renewed food stores. M&S is looking for highly visible and accessible sites across the UK that are capable of delivering trading space of 18,000 sq ft. Within the M25, the retailer is targeting prominent sites in all areas that benefit from strong public transport links, steady footfall throughout the week, and are capable of delivering M&S food halls with trading space of between 6,000 sq ft and 18,000 sq ft. This comes as M&S prepares to open 20 new or renewed stores between November and March. All of these stores will be in M&S’s new renewal format, which offers an extended range of M&S Food, wider aisles, and larger car parks. Target locations include areas where there is not yet an M&S store such as Hove, Marlborough and Wallingford. Alex Freudmann managing director of M&S Food said: “The strong performance of our new M&S food stores gives us the confidence to explore even more locations across the UK, from […]
Insights
Modern leasing in retail real estate: observations from an award-winning dealmaker
3rd December 2025Leasing space to retailers and F&B operators has always been a dialogue of selling. Marrying up demand from brands with available units in a process of approach, presentation, handling objections and closing. In the past deals were linear and went step by step from agreeing heads of terms into instructing legals and ending with signed documents and exchange.
News
Redevco brings 25,000 sq ft PUMA flagship to Oxford Street
4th December 2025Redevco has welcomed PUMA to London’s Oxford Street, with the global sportswear brand opening within the transformed ONE James Street building. Spanning 25,000 sq ft, the new space is the retailer’s largest flagship store in Europe, and features PUMA’s NITRO running shoes, its football boot range, as well as its current range of lifestyle products. At ONE James Street, Redevco has looked to rebalanced the mix of uses at the building, reducing retail space and expanding office space to meet growing demand for premium workplace environments. The future-proofed workspaces were designed to champion sustainability and wellbeing. Occupiers also benefit from a biophilic roof terrace and pavilion, a business lounge, bookable meeting rooms, a gym, and secure cycle storage. Deborah Green, head of asset and transaction management at Redevco UK, said: “The opening of PUMA’s flagship at ONE James Street underscores the building’s position as one of London’s premier retail destinations. Welcoming such an iconic global brand is a milestone that reflects our vision to create vibrant, sustainable urban spaces that attract leading names and elevate the West End experience.”
