News
Lakeside welcomes quartet of fashion retailers
9th September 2026Lakeside has welcomed the arrival of four national fashion retailers, with Bershka, Hollister, Oliver Bonas, and Urban Outfitters all opening at the Essex shopping centre. Bershka has opened on the scheme’s second level, bringing its range of womenswear, menswear, and accessories to a 12,500 sq ft space. In the adjacent space, Hollister has opened a 6,000 sq ft store, offering its collections of signature casualwear, alongside its sportswear and swimwear ranges. Meanwhile on Lakeside’s lower level, Urban Outfitters has opened a 6,500 sq ft store, where it offers its mix of fashion and lifestyle products. In addition, British lifestyle retailer Oliver Bonas has opened a 4,000 sq ft store, also on the lower level, bringing its range of design-led products to Lakeside. Robert Jewell, managing director of asset management at Pradera, said: “The arrival of Bershka, Hollister, Oliver Bonas, and Urban Outfitters demonstrates the continued confidence that leading international retailers have in Lakeside, and the strength of demand from our visitors. Together, these brands significantly enhance the breadth of fashion on offer, cementing its position as a best-in-class lifestyle location, and one of the UK’s highest performing shopping destinations.” The openings build on over £100m of investment by retail occupiers […]
Deals
Flight Club to open 17th UK venue in Exeter
8th September 2026Red Engine, the hospitality group behind the Flight Club and Electric Shuffle concepts, is set to open a new Flight Club venue in Exeter. The darts-themed competitive socialising operator’s new venue will be its 17th in the UK and its second in the South West, joining Flight Club Bristol which opened in 2021. The concept will occupy the former Revolution site on Queen Street, 500 feet from Exeter Central Station. Spanning 11,916 sq ft across two floors, Flight Club Exeter will feature the operator’s signature style, which looks to combine the feel of a traditional pub with a fairground twist. This comes as Red Engine prepares to open five additional international venues, bringing its global portfolio to 48 locations. Steve Moore, CEO and co-founder of Red Engine, said, “Hitting 1 billion darts thrown earlier this year was a huge milestone, and Exeter is where Flight Club’s next chapter starts. Five years since we opened in Bristol, we’re excited to be back in the Southwest, bringing Social Darts to the heart of Exeter this Winter.”
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
The rise of ‘treatonomics’: how changing spending patterns are affecting retail destinations
9th July 2026Times 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
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
Chichester retail investment changes hands
9th September 2026A retail investment at 14-15 East Street and 1a St Martins Street in Chichester has changed hands, being sold to a private buyer. The property occupies a prominent position on the northern side of East Street, close to the historic Market Cross. East Street is one of Chichester’s principal retail thoroughfares, benefitting from a fully pedestrianised environment. The retail unit is let to Holland & Barrett on a 10-year lease commencing on 5 November 2024, providing long-term income. 1a St Martins Street is let to a local barber. Mark Minchell of Flude Property Consultants, which acted on behalf of the vendor, said: “This sale demonstrates the great fundamentals of high street retail investments in great pitches in the better retailing towns and cities. Yields are still attractive and there are demonstrable rental growth prospects.” BWP Commercial acted for the buyer.
