News
Highcross Leicester adds four new retailers to lineup
5th November 2026Highcross Leicester has expanded its retail lineup with the signing of four new brands, all of which will open at the shopping centre this winter. Unze London, Harli + Harpa, Taz Hair & Beauty, and Blue Banana will all open at the scheme over the coming months, bringing a mix of established brands and independents to Highcross Leicester. Blue Banana will open a store on the scheme’s lower mall, offering a range of alternative clothing. Established in 1997, the retailer specialises in clothing, body jewellery, and accessories inspired by gothic, punk and emo styles, alongside band merchandise and alternative lifestyle brands. Opening in November, the new store will be located next to Damaged Society and join the brand’s growing network of 18 stores across the UK. Footwear and fashion retailer Unze London is set to return to Leicester after 19 years with a new 5,443 sq ft store in the former Footasylum unit. Originally founded in London in 1989, the brand is now headquartered in Lahore, Pakistan, where it maintains an established online presence, a network of 36 international physical stores, and one in Ilford, East London. Australian-born jewellery brand Harli + Harpa will also join Highcross, taking the former […]
Deals
St Albans’ Christopher Place welcomes trio of retailers
4th November 2026Peterborough Capital and its joint venture partner George Capital have announced a trio of lettings at Christopher Place, as the St Albans scheme’s repositioning continues to take place. The shopping centre is set to welcome Astrid & Miyu ahead of Christmas, with fit-out works already underway. Founded in London in 2012, the jewellery brand is known for its stackable designs and experiential stores offering piercing, welding, and fine-line tattoos. Meanwhile, British shirtmaker TM Lewin has opened its first store outside London since returning to the high street in April 2025. St Albans follows openings at several London locations as the brand rebuilds its store estate. Finally, NMRK Jewellery, a female-founded, independent British jewellery brand, has opened its first physical store at Christopher Place. NMRK pairs solid gold and diamond everyday pieces with a hand-selected vintage and antique collection. These retailers join the likes of The White Company, Space NK, Nobody’s Child and Whistles, further broadening Christopher Place’s premium positioning. In addition, Air Aesthetics, the doctor-led aesthetics and wellness clinic group, has renewed its lease for a further ten years, while The Bakery Stop has reopened in the former Pudding Stop unit under new ownership. The joint venture partnership acquired Christopher […]
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
Plymouth’s Drake Circus sees footfall reach a decade high
4th November 2026British Land’s Drake Circus shopping centre in Plymouth has recorded its highest summer footfall in 10 years, as the centre celebrates its 20th anniversary. The retail destination has welcomed 170 million visitors since records began in 2016, and July to August 2026 saw Drake Circus and leisure destination The Barcode hit a 10-year summer record, welcoming 2.9 million visitors. In the 12 months to August 2026, the two destinations attracted 16.9 million visits, supported by a mixture of retail, dining, and leisure experiences. Since opening its doors in 2006, Drake Circus attracted national and international brands with retailers such as H&M, Waterstones, and Primark still trading at the scheme after 20 years. Today, Drake Circus is home to over 70 brands, with recent lettings including Apple, Oliver Bonas, Rituals, and Mango. A significant milestone in the destination’s evolution came in 2019 with the opening of The Barcode, a leisure and entertainment complex that expanded the centre’s appeal beyond traditional shopping. The evolution of the centre’s retail and leisure offer has been reflected in the performance of individual categories, with health and beauty and food and beverage recording particularly strong growth in recent years: Health and beauty sales increased by 38% […]
