News
LEFTIES opens second UK store at Lakeside
3rd November 2026Inditex-owned fashion retailer LEFTIES has opened its second UK store at Lakeside shopping centre in Essex. The retailer has opened a 36,000 sq ft space, offering a range of clothing, footwear, and accessories across its lines for women, men, and children. The store will also offer LEFTIES’ HOME Collection, a line that extends the brand’s products into textiles, décor, fragrances, and other home items. LEFTIES at Lakeside also incorporates the brand’s new technological solutions designed to improve the customer experience and optimise store operations including assisted checkouts, smart fitting rooms, a robotic hanger sorter, and an automatic garment sorter. The new store joins LEFTIES’ debut UK location at Liverpool ONE. The brand’s arrival follows the opening of the nearby 12,500 sq ft Bershka store last month, increasing Inditex’s total footprint at Lakeside to over 125,000 sq ft, alongside its established brands Zara, Pull & Bear, and Stradivarius. These openings build on over £130 million of investment by retail occupiers at Lakeside since the beginning of 2024. Robert Jewell, managing director of asset management at Pradera, said: “The opening of LEFTIES is a significant moment for Lakeside, and marks the next chapter in its evolution as a super-regional. The calibre of […]
Deals
The Knightsbridge Estate adds quartet of brands to Brompton Road
30th October 2026The Knightsbridge Estate has signed Varley for a new store on Brompton Road in London, with the addition of the contemporary lifestyle brand becoming the latest in a series of recent openings and lettings on the street. The brand – which was founded in 2014 by Lara and Ben Mead – will take a 3,965 sq ft store at 77 Brompton Road for its third location in the UK. The store will offer a range of clothing for women, including knitwear, outerwear, activewear, and accessories. This signing follows the recent opening of Dutch luxury fashion and lifestyle house Aurélien’s first UK flagship at 59 Brompton Road in July, spanning 3,228 sq ft. Footwear retailer OFFICE followed in August, which opened a 4,385 sq ft store at 73 Brompton Road. Additionally, Onitsuka Tiger will also join the estate, with the footwear retailer having signed for a 3,996 sq ft store at 39-41 Brompton Road. Ben Mead, co-founder and CEO of Varley, said: “London has always been an important market for Varley, and we’re delighted to be opening our third UK store on Brompton Road. With its distinctive mix of fashion, lifestyle, and retail destinations, the area feels like a natural fit […]
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
Blackstar Real Estate appoints associate director
3rd November 2026Blackstar Real Estate, the real estate investment, asset, and property management business, has appointed Alpha Barry as an associate director. Barry brings extensive experience in commercial property management, having previously held positions at CBRE, MAPP, and JLL. During his career, he has managed a number of high-profile assets across central London as well as mixed-use portfolios. His expertise spans lease management, service charge budgeting, occupier relations, rent collection, and the coordination of landlord capital programmes. In his new position, Barry will look to support the management and operational performance of Blackstar’s growing portfolio, working with the group’s wider team to drive asset performance, strengthen occupier relationships, and deliver business plans across the firm’s retail and mixed-use assets. Sabri Marsaoui, chief executive officer of Blackstar Real Estate said: “We are delighted to welcome Alpha to Blackstar. He brings considerable experience within commercial property management and will be a valuable addition to our growing team. As we continue to take on new instructions and expand the business, having the right people in place is essential to delivering the high standards of service and proactive management our clients expect.” This follows the news that Blackstar Real Estate has been appointed as asset manager […]
