News
ARNE picks Bluewater for six-month pop-up
23rd October 2026ARNE is has opened its first regional store in the South East of England at Landsec’s Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. The opening of the 2,800 sq ft pop-up follows ARNE’s two-week pop-up on Carnaby Street last year, as the Liverpool-born brand looks to expand its physical retail presence. Located on Bluewater’s Lower Guildhall, the store offers a range of ARNE’s menswear, womenswear, and footwear collections. During the pop-up’s opening weekend, footfall at Bluewater increased by 5%, compared to the same weekend last year. ARNE opened its debut permanent store at Landsec’s Liverpool ONE in 2025, and has joined a series of new fashion and lifestyle arrivals at Bluewater, including Jack & Jones and HUSH, with Danish lifestyle retailer Søstrene Grene set to open soon. Clare Dutton, portfolio director at Landsec, said: “ARNE is an example of a brand that has built a strong following and is now investing in physical retail to reach customers in new locations. Having already established a successful presence at Liverpool ONE, we’re pleased to welcome the brand to another of Landsec’s centres. “The Guildhall is becoming a key destination for premium brands, with a curated mix of classic and contemporary retailers. Its strong audience […]
Deals
ProCook to make city debut at Derbion
22nd October 2026ProCook is set to open its first store in Derby at the Derbion shopping centre. The kitchenware retailer has signed a lease for a 2,241 sq ft at the retail and leisure destination, with the store set to showcase the retailer’s latest store design and its range of kitchen and dining products. The signing of ProCook follows a run of new leasing announcements at Derbion, with Superdry & Co, independent toy store BarnDawg, bakery school Dew, and health and beauty specialists Savers, Thérapie, and Royal Oud all joining the centre’s line-up. Derbion has also recently welcomed the arrival of Bodycare and Bath & Body Works. These signings and openings come as several major development projects take place in Derby, which will add to the city’s residential, business, and cultural mix. Beth McDonald, managing director at Derbion, said: “ProCook becomes the latest brand to select Derbion for its flagship location in the East Midlands, cementing our position as the go-to destination for retailers in the region. The addition of ProCook follows an action-packed couple of months for our leasing and asset management team as we continue to refresh our line-up to curate a diverse tenant mix which caters for people of […]
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
Q&A: Landsec’s portfolio director Clare Dutton: “we’re investing a lot into retail”
23rd October 2026Landsec is investing big in retail. The real estate investment trust recently snapped up the 1.86m sq ft Metrocentre shopping centre in Gateshead, and earlier this year touted major retail as a “more attractive” sector than office or residential development. In addition, Landsec has welcomed a number of ‘firsts’ to its portfolio: Garage opened its first store in the UK in Bluewater, while at Liverpool ONE, Lefties made its UK debut and Salomon opened its first store outside of London. As demand for prime shopping centre space creeps up, how does Landsec pick the right brands for the right spaces? Completely Retail News caught up with portfolio director Clare Dutton to discuss the landlord’s approach to selecting new tenants, which retailers are the most acquisitive, and the role of physical retail within shopping centres: How does Landsec identify the brands it wants to attract to its shopping centres? “We’re close to the market, so we know of the new brands that are acquisitive. We also have a lot of data, because we reach one in every two consumers in the UK, in respect to things that our customers are looking for. “So it’s a combination of knowing who’s in 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 first new supermarket in eight years in North London
22nd October 2026Waitrose has opened its first new supermarket in eight years in Cricklewood, North London, as the retailer confirms plans for four more new stores. The opening of the retailer’s 18,000 sq ft ‘Home of Food Lovers’ store is its first full-line supermarket launch since 2018 and will be followed by the opening of a Waitrose supermarket in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester in November. In addition, Waitrose has acquired four sites for new stores, all of which are set to open from 2027. These comprise a new neighbourhood store in Oakham (Rutland) and three new convenience stores in Bedminster (Bristol), Chalk Farm (London), and Springstead Village (Cambridge). The announcements form part of Waitrose’s £1bn multi-year investment plan, which includes expansion, store updates, and the growth of its online and wholesale channels. Tina Mitchell, retail director at Waitrose, said: “Our supermarkets provide the ultimate showcase for everything that sets Waitrose apart – from our unmatched quality and industry-leading welfare standards to the expert service of our partners. “Opening Cricklewood as our first new full-line supermarket in eight years marks an important step in bringing Waitrose closer to more communities. We continue to invest in the right shops in the right locations alongside […]
