News
Get Living’s £500m Elephant and Castle town centre opens
12th November 2026The Elephant, a £500m town centre development from Get Living in London’s Elephant and Castle, has opened to the public. The development is one of the last of its kind to be delivered this decade, and brings 135,000 sq ft of new shops, dining, and leisure space to the area. Of the 116,459 sq ft of commercial space available at launch, 93% is already let or currently under offer. The destination is also home to Elephant Quarter, a residential development of 485 homes, ranging from studios to three bedroom apartments. Residents will benefit from a range of amenities, including rooftop terraces, dedicated fitness facilities, and social spaces. Alongside the new homes and commercial space, The Elephant also delivers enhanced public spaces, including a new town square and an additional 50,000 sq ft of workspace. A new campus for UAL’s London College of Communication and an improved Northern Line ticket hall entrance are also set to open in 2027 and 2030, respectively. Tenants at The Elephant that have already opened their doors include M&S Food, Mango, Oliver Bonas, Søstrene Grene, Superdrug, Blank Street, Starbucks, and Pret A Manger. The Elephant Kitchen, a food hall comprising 14 independent kitchens, will open at […]
Deals
Portsmouth’s Pompey Centre 98% occupied after Redevco lets 10,000 sq ft of space
12th November 2026The Pompey Centre in Portsmouth is now 98% occupied after scheme owner Redevco let 10,000 sq ft of space at the retail park. Restaurant chain Nando’s and outdoor living specialist White Shores have both signed at The Pompey Centre, which Redevco said highlights the success of its wider retail park portfolio. Additionally, existing occupier Easy Bathrooms recently completed a refit of its store at the scheme. Redevco acquired its £518m UK retail park portfolio in 2024, a major milestone in building one of the largest retail park asset management platforms in Europe. Redevco’s retail park portfolio now sits at a value of around €5.5bn (£4.6bn) with around 190 assets under the group’s management across the UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, and Portugal. Across the group’s UK portfolio, multiple well-known brands have recently signed 10-year leases. At Euro Retail Park in Ipswich, Oak Furniture Land opened in a 10,000 sq ft unit, while Mountain Warehouse signed for a 9,342 sq ft unit at Gapton Hall in Great Yarmouth. Elsewhere, Wren Kitchens committed to a 10,001 sq ft unit at Gravesend’s Imperial Retail Park. Josh Tyler, senior asset manager at Redevco, said: “We are confident that these new arrivals will further strengthen […]
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
New data shows over half of consumers to make purchases over Black Friday period
11th November 2026New data from CACI has suggested that over half of consumers will make purchases over this autumn’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday period. The research suggests that both Christmas gifting and the timing of payday are shaping when shoppers can afford to buy. This year, payday for a quarter of working adults falls on Monday 30th November, the last working day of the month and Cyber Monday itself. By Black Friday, which falls on 27th November, many shoppers will have a lower disposable income. As a result, brands – such as Currys, Dunelm, Sephora and Boots – are rolling out their Black Friday offers early. Insight from CACI’s most recent Voice of the Nation Survey, which analyses data from a sample of 2,000 respondents across the UK, found that: Chris Lidington, director of Retail, FMCG, and logistics at CACI said, “The recent Voice of the Nation survey findings reveal that Black Friday and Cyber Monday remain an important opportunity for retailers, but understanding what is driving consumer spending is key. With Christmas gifting emerging as the primary motivation for many shoppers, retailers have an opportunity to capture seasonal spend earlier, while differences across genders, household types, and regions highlight the […]
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
Waitrose opens 15,000 sq ft supermarket in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester
12th November 2026Waitrose has opened a 15,000 sq ft supermarket on The Square in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester. The opening forms part of Waitrose’s wider £1bn nationwide investment plan, which aims to deliver the best experience for customers across its shops, online offering, and partner sites. The new store features dedicated meat, fish, and sushi counters, a dry-aged beef cabinet, hand-cut and speciality cheeses, a fruit and veg section, and a fresh in-store bakery and patisserie. It also offers click-and-collect services for John Lewis, Waitrose Entertaining and Waitrose Cellar, and rapid home delivery via Deliveroo and UberEats. Freddie Sackey-Addo, Waitrose regional manager, said: “After months of hard work behind the scenes, seeing the first shoppers walk through the doors this morning was a huge moment for all of us. “This destination store has been designed around a genuine passion for food – from our Partners working on the counters and bakery to the curated wine selection and fresh fruit, vegetables and more. We hope our customers treat this as their neighbourhood shop, whether they’re grabbing a quick lunch, looking for advice on what to have for dinner, or discovering something new during their regular weekly shop. Hale Barns is a great location and […]
