News

Electric Kids appoints Savills to advise on UK expansion

Electric Kids has appointed Savills as its sole property adviser to support its UK expansion. Savills has been instructed to identify new opportunities nationwide for the family entertainment concept, targeting shopping centres, retail parks, and mixed-use destinations. The concept combines interactive driving experiences, gameplay, and social spaces to create a family entertainment destination. Utilising HoloDrive technology, the concept allows guests to take part in missions and challenges within a projected gaming environment, alongside party rooms, viewing pods, VR experiences, and ancillary entertainment offers. The operator is seeking units of approximately 10,000 sq ft, as well as external plots suitable for standalone dome installations. Electric Kids is focusing on high-footfall schemes that benefit from strong family demographics and an established retail and leisure offer. Carlene Hughes, head of UK, restaurants and leisure at Savills, said: “The launch of Electric Kids represents an exciting addition to the UK’s leisure landscape. As destinations continue to diversify their offers beyond traditional retail, innovative concepts that drive footfall, increase dwell time and encourage repeat visitation are in high demand. Electric Kids delivers a unique family-focused experience and we are delighted to be supporting its expansion by identifying opportunities nationwide.”

Deals

Independent coffee shop brand marks next phase of expansion with Warrington signing

Independent coffee shop brand Bob & Berts is beginning the next phase of its expansion after signing for a new café at Golden Square Shopping Centre in Warrington, Cheshire. Spanning 3,000 sq ft, the new shop will accommodate 135 guests and feature a full kitchen, offering a menu of breakfasts, brunches, and lunches alongside handcrafted drinks. Founded in Portstewart, Northern Ireland in 2013, Bob & Berts has grown from a single coffee shop to a 28-store business with locations across Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England. Group sales reached £24.3m for the year ending June 2026, an increase of 8% year-on-year. Colin McClean, founder of Bob & Berts, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be bringing Bob & Berts to Warrington as we begin the next chapter of our growth. I’ve visited the town many times over the years, and Golden Square immediately stood out as the right location for us. It’s a well-established retail and hospitality destination with a strong sense of community, making it the perfect place for our next opening. “Warrington is the first store in our next phase of expansion and we’re looking forward to continuing to invest in communities across the UK over the coming years.” David […]

Requirements

Toolstation eyes new sites as it looks to expand London and South East estate

Toolstation has released its latest property requirements list as it looks to expand its store estate across Greater London and the South East. The trade supplies retailer is seeking units on high streets and trade parks ranging between 2,000 sq ft and 5,000 sq ft in size, located in prominent and visible roadside locations. Ideal units will be situated in easily accessible locations, with access to parking and loading bays essential. Target locations include: GCW has been retained to find suitable locations.

Insights

The rise of ‘treatonomics’: how changing spending patterns are affecting retail destinations

Times 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

By 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

Superdrug to open significantly upsized store at Harlequin Watford

Superdrug is set to open a significantly upsized store at Harlequin Watford, increasing its footprint at the Hertfordshire shopping centre by over a third. The health and beauty retailer will expand into a 11,503 sq ft space, adjacent to its 8,400 sq ft current store, representing an upsize of 37%. The upsize will allow Superdrug to offer a wider range of cosmetics, skincare, healthcare, fragrances, and wellness products, enabling the brand to meet the high customer demand. Superdrug’s upsize comes as the centre has welcomed £16.7m worth of tenant enhancements over the last 24 months, including a 154% upsize from Goldsmiths in this same month. Robert Jewell, managing director of asset management at Pradera, said: “Harlequin is a prime example of active, intelligent leasing done right, where occupiers welcome success and visitors feel understood. Superdrug’s recommitment demonstrates why brands continue to find the centre an attractive prospect worth investing in, and the expanded space will work to serve the needs of the far-reaching catchment.” Clare Jennings, property director at Superdrug, added: “We’re excited to be extending the store in Harlequin Watford. This investment reflects our continued commitment to bricks-and-mortar retail and allows us to bring an enhanced range of health and […]