Retail Property Deals

Evolve Estates signs two new tenants to Scottish shopping centre

10th October 2024

Evolve Estates, part of commercial property and investment collective M Core, has signed two new tenants at the Penicuik Centre in Scotland. Sushi restaurant Yokohama Sushi has signed a 10-year lease for an 824 sq ft unit, joining other food and beverage tenants at the scheme including Greggs and Domino’s. Meanwhile, Maj Gifts Ornaments will also join the scheme after signing a one-year lease for a 1,940 sq ft unit. The new brands will join existing operators such as Farmfoods and anchor tenant B&M at the scheme, which is located in the commuter town of Penicuik, just 10 miles south of Edinburgh. The Penicuik Centre is home to 19 units and over 46,000 sq ft of retail space. Guy Robinson, asset manager at Evolve Estates, said: “We are thrilled to have secured these two new brands at Penicuik Centre further strengthening both our food and beverage and retail offering. “We’re committed and focused to expanding the tenant mix even further and over the coming months we’ll be looking to announce more new tenants.”

Immersive leisure concept to make UK debut at The O2

9th October 2024

Immersive and interactive game concept Activate is set to make its UK debut at The O2 in London this winter. Hailing from Canada, Activate has been brought across the pond by experiential group We Do Play, which specialises in leisure and hospitality concepts. Spanning 10,000 sq ft, the new venue will be located in close proximity to popular venues such as Mamma Mia! The Party and TOCA Social. Activate will look to deliver a lively gaming facility for The O2’s customer base, with multiple game rooms where visitors can navigate and take part in physical and mental challenges. Activate’s decision to join the O2 follows a significant year of growth for the destination’s leisure category, which has seen an increase in like-for-like sales of 6.6% compared to 2023. This comes after the destination’s Entertainment District reached full leasing completion earlier this year, bringing in operators such as Clip ‘n Climb – which opens this month – and Padel Social Club. Janine Constantin-Russell, managing director of the Entertainment District and Outlet Shopping at The O2, said: “Leisure has always been a core part of The O2’s offering, consistently delivering an unmatched experience that speaks volumes on how we resonate with operators...

Dunelm to make central London debut

8th October 2024

Dunelm is set to open its first-ever store in central London at URW’s Westfield London shopping centre. The homewares retailer will open a 4,500 sq ft store this winter, as it looks to expand its reach in the capital. The store will offer Dunelm’s full range of home and furniture categories, including its latest collections and collaborations. Dunelm – which opened six new stores in the last financial year – is set to launch a number of new stores over the coming months in various sizes and formats. Earlier this year, the retailer said it was “increasingly confident” in its smaller format stores. Nick Wilkinson, chief executive of Dunelm, said: “We’re really excited to be bringing Dunelm to Westfield. It gives Londoners much easier access to our specialist offer for the home and starts to unlock a real opportunity for our brand in the capital. “This is our first step into central London, where we have ambitions to further expand our presence, alongside wider plans to deliver our next wave of store openings across the UK as we gain confidence in showcasing our ranges in a variety of different sizes and formats.” Kate Orwin, leasing director UK at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), added: “Continuing our […]

Gym operator to surpass 100 sites with flurry of retail park openings

8th October 2024

Gym operator Snap Fitness is set to operate over 100 gyms across the UK and Ireland with the opening of four new gyms at retail parks in the coming weeks. In October and November, the operator will open 24/7 gyms at Treliske Retail Park in Truro, M Park Central 12 in Southport, Parc y Llyn in Aberystwyth, Wales, and Tullamore Retail Park in the Republic of Ireland. In Aberystwyth and Tullamorem, Snap Fitness has taken over units formerly occupied by Carpetright. The retail park units were selected by Snap Fitness’ in-house property team based on detailed data and insights. Due to an increased consumer demand for gym memberships, Snap Fitness has seen its new gyms in 2024 open with an average of 44% more members than gyms that opened in 2023. Paul Stephenson, franchise operations director at Snap Fitness, said: “Retail parks tick a lot of boxes for a successful Snap Fitness gym and are a key part of our future growth. “Convenience is a huge consideration factor when joining a gym and retail parks traditionally give you large units with great, natural footfall near a town or city centre, as well as free parking for members. “The fitness industry […]

Gloucester Quays Retail Park serves up padel concept for city debut

8th October 2024

The Padel Club has launched at Gloucester Quays Retail Park, bringing the fast-growing sport to an indoor venue in the city for the first time. The operator invested £1m to create the 43,577 sq ft venue, which includes nine courts with LED lighting, as well as a wellness-focused restaurant and bar. Padel is a form of tennis played in an enclosed space about a third the size of a typical court, and is the fastest growing sport in the world. The Padel Club’s launch looks to broaden the leisure offer within Gloucester, and support the evolution of the tenant mix within the retail park as well as the adjacent Gloucester Quays outlet centre. Mark Whittaker, managing director at scheme owner Peel Retail & Leisure, said: “The popularity of padel has risen exponentially, and no doubt there will be plenty of people that live in, work in, or visit Gloucester that love the sport. Operators like The Padel Club will have had lots of options in the region for opening a new venue, so we wanted to make sure this is something we could bring to the city before anyone else. Gloucester Quays Retail Park, by virtue of its location, accessibility, […]

Sosandar picks Cardiff for fourth UK store

8th October 2024

Sosandar is set to open its fourth store in the UK after signing an agreement to join St David’s in Cardiff. This comes after the women’s fashion brand opened its first stores in Chelmsford, Marlow in Buckinghamshire, and the Metrocentre in Gateshead. Sosandar – which was originally founded as an online-only store – will join a number of other fashion brands at St David’s, such as AllSaints, Mint Velvet, and Reiss. Earlier this year, it was reported that Sosandar is looking to open up to 50 stores in its first venture into bricks-and-mortar retail. Ali Hall and Julie Lavington, co-CEOs of Sosandar, said: “It’s exciting to announce our fourth store location as we continue our transition to becoming a true multi-channel retailer. Aligned with our strategy and other store locations announced to date, St David’s meets our criteria of opening stores in top tier, thriving locations where Sosandar customers over-index, being the go-to shopping destination in Cardiff.” Pablo Sueiras, head of retail brand account management at St David’s owner, Landsec said: “Our guests want to experience new and exciting brands in the best stores, and Sosandar fits this description. Increasingly we are seeing digital-first brands broaden their multichannel offer. Destinations like...

YouTube troupe subscribes for second clothing store at Bullring

7th October 2024

YouTube group The Sidemen have selected Hammerson’s Bullring & Grand Central in Birmingham for their second-ever SDMN clothing store. The 4,500 sq ft store will stock the brand’s range of unisex streetwear and merchandise products, including those from a new SDMN x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collaboration. The Sidemen are one of the most high-profile internet personalities in Europe, having accrued over 21.6 million subscribers and 6.4 billion video views. The group opened their first clothing store last year at Bluewater in Kent. They have also ventured into the world of food and beverage, opening their Sides chicken wing concept in locations such as London, Manchester Arndale, and Merry Hill in the West Midlands. The signing underpins a wider strategy from Hammerson to diversify its occupier mix with the introduction of new and exciting concepts to complement its existing brands. Toby Tait, director of asset management at Hammerson, said: “This is an exciting moment in the repositioning of Bullring. Birmingham is Europe’s youngest city and as we continue to broaden the use and proposition of Bullring, The Sideman are just the type of personalities which will resonate with and attract a broader demographic. Over the last 18 months we have […]

Hobbs to upsize and relocate at Victoria Leeds

7th October 2024

Women’s fashion brand Hobbs is set to relocate and upsize at Redical’s Victoria Leeds, increasing its presence at the scheme by 30%. Opening the new store in December, Hobbs will relocate from Victoria Quarter to a new 4,200 sq ft flagship at Victoria Gate. The new store will enable the brand to showcase a wider range of its signature women’s clothing, shoes, accessories, and occasion-wear, in response to high demand at the centre. The relocation also enables Hobbs to sit alongside fellow TFG London brands, Phase Eight and Whistles, as well as complement a wider range of brands at the destination including The White Company, Mint Velvet, NEOM Wellbeing and Pour Moi. Rachel Bradburn, leasing director at Victoria Leeds, said: “This latest announcement further cements Victoria Leeds’ position as one of the UK’s most trusted premium and luxury retail destination. We are welcoming more visitors than ever before to Victoria Gate, which is a testament to high calibre brands reinvesting and recommitting with us, like those in the TFG London portfolio, but also to Redical’s ongoing commitment to provide an exceptional curated retail mix and customer experience.” This news follows the recent openings of British heritage and lifestyle brand, Barbour, […]

Sloane Stanley welcomes pair of independents to King’s Road

7th October 2024

The Sloane Stanley Estate has welcomed two design-led independents to Chelsea’s King’s Road. Footwear and accessories brand Penelope Chilvers has opened its fourth store in London at No. 328, whilst women’s fashion brand KayaNuka will open a pop-up at No. 324-326 Taking a 1,327 sq ft store, Penelope Chilvers has brought its fashion offering to the Chelsea neighbourhood for the first time, joining its other locations in Notting Hill, Mayfair, Belgravia, and The Cotswolds. The brand looks to combine contemporary, fashion-led design with style and traditional Spanish craftsmanship to produce timeless and made-to-last pieces. Meanwhile, jewellery, accessories, and women’s fashion brand KayaNuka will open its third pop-up on the Sloane Stanley Estate until the New Year. KayaNuka means ‘Older & Younger’ in Cherokee – a Native American language – resembling the mother and daughter duo behind the brand. The pop-up will offer unique jewellery pieces to Chelsea, and deliver an exclusive insight into the online-only brand. Hannah Grievson, property director at Sloane Stanley, said: “Penelope Chilvers and KayaNuka are exactly the kind of names we’re after to add to our growing roster of independent brands. Our expertise lies very much in supporting the transition from online presence to physical retail, […]

GAIL’s opens at Elephant Park

7th October 2024

Bakery and café concept GAIL’s has opened within the casual dining zone at Lendlease’s Elephant Park in London. Joining the Zone One London neighbourhood, GAIL’s has opened in a 1,740 sq ft unit on the corner of Sayer Street and Deacon Street, previously occupied by Bobo Social. The new space offers the bakery chain’s full menu, which includes its signature pastries, cakes, bread, and house blend coffee. GAIL’s joins a number of food and beverage brands at Sayer Street’s dining hub including the recently-opened Asian street food restaurant and bar NOKO, as well as Filishack, Pot & Rice, Koi Ramen, Tasty Jerk, and Miko’s Ecuadorian and Spanish Kitchen. Guy Thomas, head of retail and place assets at Lendlease, said: “Our leasing strategy for Elephant Park is to ensure that the needs and wants of our community are always met and reflected in the tenant mix. To evolve this already thriving London neighbourhood, we take great care when choosing the blend of operators to ensure we can achieve that aim and also bring something new that perfectly complements our line-up of dynamic local businesses. GAIL’s is a great fit for the high street environment we have created at Elephant Park.” The...

Sosandar opens third UK store at Metrocentre

4th October 2024

Sosandar has opened its third store in the UK and its first in the North East at Metrocentre in Gateshead. The retailer has opened a 2,047 sq ft store in the destination’s upper Platinum Mall, alongside other womenswear brands such as Phase Eight and Hobbs. The store offers a range of women’s clothing and accessories with a focus on affordable, high-quality products. Having launched eight years ago exclusively online, Sosandar is now one of the fastest-growing fashion brands in the UK. The Metrocentre store is the brand’s third standalone store, with it having previously sold through the likes of Next and M&S. In July, it was reported that Sosandar is targeting up to 50 stores in its first venture into bricks-and-mortar retail. Sosandar joins Sephora, Mango, ProCook, and Brows & Nails which have all opened at Metrocentre within the last month.

Dalton Park Outlet welcomes Le Creuset

3rd October 2024

Dalton Park Outlet in Seaham has expanded its home and cookware offering with the addition of Le Creuset. The French retailer returns to the North East outlet shopping destination following the success of its pop-up store at the scheme earlier this year. The store will be located within a prime location within the mall opposite Adidas, offering a range of cast iron enamel and kitchen essentials at reduced prices. Richard Kaye, centre manager at Dalton Park, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Le Creuset back to Dalton Park this autumn. The success of the pop-up store showed us just how much our customers love the brand, and we are excited to provide them with an ongoing opportunity to shop Le Creuset’s quality cookware.” Nicky Lovell, head of outlets and retail business development at Global Mutual, added: “Our goal is to continually offer the best shopping experiences, and securing Le Creuset is a fantastic result for Dalton Park Outlet. Le Creuset’s addition not only elevates our homeware offering but also strengthens Dalton Park’s reputation as a premium shopping destination in the North East, where customers can find everything, they need from home essentials to fashion and leisure, all in one place.” The opening...