British Land secures over 11,500 sq ft of leasing activity at Plymouth’s Drake Circus

British Land is set to welcome The Body Shop and Claw City to Drake Circus shopping centre and The Barcode in Plymouth, building on the recent openings of Skechers, Black Sheep Coffee, and Oh My Kimchi.

Together, the deals represent around 11,500 sq ft of leasing activity.

Beauty and skin care retailer The Body Shop has taken a 1,175 sq ft store at Drake Circus. This marks the return the retailer to the destination and forms part of the company’s renewed investment in its physical estate. 

Meanwhile, experiential leisure operator Claw City will be opening a 2,000 sq ft location at The Barcode, bringing its new all-claw-machine concept to the destination. Dedicated entirely to the popular arcade game, the venue will offer an interactive leisure experience for visitors. 

These new lettings build on a busy summer of activity at Drake Circus, including the recent relocation of Skechers on New George Street. The new 3,700 sq ft concept store looks to provide an enhanced retail experience, with more room for customers to browse the brand’s latest ranges of footwear, apparel, and accessories. 

Black Sheep Coffee also made its Plymouth debut in September, taking 3,420 sq ft across two floors on the nearby Old Town Street. The opening marks the coffee brand’s first location in the city and expands the range of food and beverage operators in and around Drake Circus.  

Finally, independent Korean food operator Oh My Kimchi opened a 1,300 sq ft unit on Old Town Street in July. Relocating from its previous spot in Plymouth, the move provides the local operator with a more prominent pitch within the city’s central retail offer.

This latest leasing activity follows a summer of strong performance at Drake Circus and The Barcode. Footfall at Drake Circus increased 7.9% year-on-year across May to July, with over 3.2 million visitors over the three-month period. The Barcode also saw footfall increase by around 3.6% year-on-year across the same period.

Nathan Reidy, senior asset manager at British Land, said: “It’s been a really positive summer at Drake Circus, with Skechers investing in a new concept store and Oh My Kimchi and Black Sheep Coffee joining us on Old Town Street. We’re even more pleased to be building on that momentum with The Body Shop and Claw City now set to join the line-up. 

“Experience-led leisure is increasingly important as it helps us appeal to a broader range of customers and creates new reasons for people to spend time at our destinations. That’s why we’re particularly excited to welcome Claw City and its new concept to The Barcode. 

“Our approach is about understanding what works for the destination and actively managing the space to respond to changing customer and occupier demand. By continuing to invest in the right mix and creating opportunities for brands to grow, we can make sure Drake Circus and The Barcode continues to perform strongly for both our customers and occupiers.”