Retail Property Insights

Q&A: What’s new at Cribbs Mall?

1st July 2025

One of the country’s largest shopping centres, it’s been a busy few months at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol. The scheme has recently welcomed new tenants, investment from existing retailers, and has played a part in the development of the wider area. Centre owner M&G Real Estate also recently extended its ownership. Sovereign Centros by CBRE’s Iain Minto, senior director of asset management, and Katie Searle, director of asset management, spoke to Completely Retail News about what’s new at Cribbs Mall. Iain Minto and Katie Searle What new retailers has Cribbs Mall welcomed in recent months? Iain Minto: “Leading international brands continue to flock to Cribbs as we welcomed both LEGO and Austen & Blake in recent months. This continued the strong leasing momentum at Cribbs following the arrivals of Castore, Sweaty Betty, Yankee Candle, and KIKO Milano in the past year. “Meanwhile, several of our leading brands including Hugo Boss, Next, Pret, Ribble, Claire’s, Accessorize, Yo Sushi, Frankie & Benny’s, and Clarks renewed their commitment to Cribbs with new leases. “This evolving tenant mix is proving popular with our shoppers; footfall rose by 9% and sales grew by 6% over the past 12 months, outstripping industry benchmarks. […]

Q&A: Getting the balance right at Dockside Chatham

25th June 2025

How can shopping destinations provide the right balance of retail, leisure, and everyday convenience? At Dockside at Chatham Maritime, this task has seen the scheme change its approach to adapt to a constantly changing commercial environment. The centre – located in Medway, Kent – comprises restaurants, cafés, bars, a range of high street brands and leisure attractions, as well as everyday conveniences and services such as a nursery and dentist. Brands located at Dockside include M&S, The Range, Clarks, ProCook, Moss, Choice, Mountain Warehouse, McDonald’s, Zizzi, Wagamama, and Loungers. The development is also home to a nine-screen cinema, Ninja Warrior, and PureGym. Situated within a 300-acre waterfront regeneration zone, the wider Chatham Maritime features historic dockyards, an independent distillery, and a marina. It is also located in close proximity to a large residential development on the nearby St Mary’s Island. Dockside has recently shifted its strategy, pivoting from an outlet-led focus to a more traditional, full-price retail and leisure offering. Completely Retail News spoke with Anthony Sutton, centre manager at Dockside at Chatham Maritime, about what’s changed and why, and the future of the shopping destination. How has the tenant mix at Dockside changed in recent years? “Dockside’s tenant mix...

Derbion Q&A: New arrivals, recent investment, and what’s in store at the shopping centre

24th April 2025

Many shopping centres in UK towns and cities have struggled in recent years as the retail market gets to grips with a post-pandemic world and shifts in spending habits. However some assets appear to have bucked the trend, such as Derbion in the East Midlands, which has welcomed new tenants and continued investment from occupiers. Spanning 1.1 million sq ft, the Derby scheme is home to over 200 tenants, including Next, Zara, Mango, H&M, M&S, Hobbs, Hugo Boss, and JD Sports. It also contains a 127,000 sq ft department store for Frasers, Sports Direct, USC and GAME. Completely Retail News caught up with Michael Boundy, director of asset management at Derbion, to chat about what’s new at Derby’s largest shopping centre: What new retailers has Derbion welcomed in recent months? “2025 has been off to a flying start at Derbion, with a range of new and exciting brands and store upgrades. Following excellent sales performance, JD has doubled its footprint to a newly fitted out 20,000 sq ft store which opened in February, whilst iconic lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret will open its new, standalone 5,721 sq ft store at Derbion this summer, expanding out of its current space in Next, […]

The train station beauty boom

8th April 2025

Beauty and wellness is booming. Network Rail teamed up with Mintel, a leading global market intelligence agency, to explore what the latest trends mean for station retailers. The health and beauty sector is growing in the UK and across Network Rail’s estate with store improvements, pop-ups, and new openings. Customers’ expectations are changing with an increased demand for information on everything from ingredients to ethical credentials.   In 2024, British consumers spent an estimated £29 billion on beauty and grooming, up from £27 billion in 2023. The great news for station retailers is that over 90% of shoppers chose to buy products in-store. These nationwide trends, identified by experts at Mintel, reflect the findings of Network Rail’s own research. “Health and beauty experienced a strong sales increase across our estate of more than 10% in the three months to September 2024,” says Nick Gee, Network Rail category manager. “For 2025, we will focus on refining our offerings to align with and further drive this growing demand”, he adds. Taking a holistic approach to beauty Mintel found that a holistic approach to caring for hair, skin and nail health is an emerging trend, with 44% of British adults interested in taking […]

Fashion Week, a lesson for our high streets

3rd March 2025

By Juliana Bentel, graduate surveyor at Lunson Mitchenall. I recently had the opportunity to attend Paris Fashion Week 2025, and with London Fashion Week 2025 now coming to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the insights the high street can gain from these major moments in the couture calendar. It is no secret that bricks-and-mortar retail has suffered since the pandemic, but there has been one saving grace for our high streets and shopping centres that online shopping cannot replicate – immersive and dynamic shopping experiences. Fashion Week exemplifies the importance of experiential retail and engaging with customers, offering more than just products on a shelf. These immersive and dynamic ways of presenting new collections are already influencing retail spaces and trends, and the high street would do well to pay close attention. Throughout Paris Fashion Week, I attended a range of shows, with each designer presenting their new collections in immersive and unexpected ways. From deconstructed ‘avant-garde’ to theatrical performances and storytelling, each designer tapped into the cultural identity of their consumer to shape both their runway presentations and retail strategies. Japanese designer Maison Mihara Yasuhiro’s show was a great example of this. Yasuhiro’s shows transformed the audience to […]

How will the UK Net Zero Building Standard impact the retail sector?

7th February 2025

Savills' Olivier Garnier and Yorgos Koronaios look at the new UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard and how the retail sector will be affected.

Lucky Seven: retail and leisure occupational trends in 2025

13th January 2025

As we head into 2025, despite the hurdles for the retail and leisure industry as it anticipates significant impact on margins from the Budget, there remain plenty of exciting and active retailers that are navigating the evolving retail landscape – we explore the brands to watch this year.

What’s in store for the retail market in 2025?

2nd January 2025

The retail and leisure market is constantly evolving. It wasn’t too long ago that high streets, large department stores, and shopping centres, were the dominant force driving the sector forwards. The world of retail has a different look now, with online shopping, shifts in consumer preferences, and a global pandemic all reshaping the industry. The year 2025 will mark half a decade since the country went into complete lockdown, at a time when it looked as though the market may never recover. However, some operators have found a way to thrive since then. Experiential leisure and F&B for example, have found a new lease of life over the last few years. Although what happens to the market this year is yet to be seen, Completely Retail News spoke to industry experts to get their takes on what’s in store in 2025: Chris Lidington, associate partner for retail and fast-moving consumer goods at CACI: “At CACI, there are a number of trends we foresee coming into play across the year ahead. “More retailers will start to charge a premium for convenient fulfilment of online orders and returns. We have already seen this with Asos changing their returns policy and where it has not worked […]

Q&A: Outlet shopping in 2024 and beyond

24th December 2024

Outlet shopping destinations have thrived in 2024, continuing a post-pandemic trend that has seen them withstand the ongoing financial pressures which have put many retail centres at risk. This year, centres such as London Designer Outlet in Wembley Park and the North East’s Dalton Park Outlet have posted record sales, a testament to the strength of the outlet shopping market. But what has driven outlet shopping’s success in 2024? And what lies in store for next year? Matt Slade, retail director at London Designer Outlet owner Quintain, and Simon Tothill, property and development director at Robert Hitchins – the developer of Cotswolds Designer Outlet, set to open next year – gave Completely Retail News their thoughts on the outlet shopping market. Matt Slade and Simon Tothill How have outlet shopping destinations been able to evolve throughout 2024? Despite continuing economic difficulties, outlet shopping destinations have continued to succeed. Why is this? London Designer Outlet We’re seeing more leisure and F&B at outlet centres – are these assets becoming destinations in their own right and not just a place to pick up a bargain? What support does the outlet shopping sector need to continue to thrive into 2025 and beyond? What can we […]

Revitalising the high street: challenges, opportunities, and the need for bold reform

29th October 2024

Ahead of the Autumn Statement, Jason Tann, partner at Howard Kennedy, looks at the challenges facing our high streets, and how we can address them.

Cutting costs : Commercial break clauses

28th October 2024

Gavin Vollans, partner, and Rhodri Preece, senior associate, at Katten UK discuss commercial break clauses ahead of the Autumn Statement.

Bricks-and-mortar remains attractive to retailers, says CBRE

15th October 2024

Bricks-and-mortar expansion remains an attractive prospect for retailers across Europe, with 72% of occupiers confirming they have plans for further expansion, according to CBRE’s 2024 European Retail Occupier Survey. The report – which gathered responses from over 60 retailers with a combined global footprint of more than 130,000 stores – found that 71% of retailers which are planning to expand their bricks-and-mortar intend to do so in areas where they already operate. The survey also found that larger stores are also in favour, with 72% of respondents looking to increase the size of their stores. This has shown a marked increase from CBRE’s findings in 2022, in which only 26% of retailers looked to upsize. This search for larger stores is one of a few trends CBRE has observed, particularly across athleisure and fashion in gateway and capital cities. The firm has also noted an uptick in the own-to-occupy trend, whereby luxury retailers are showing an increasing desire to own their stores as opposed to leasing. However, leasing remains the predominant strategy for the mass market, with 84% of retailers stating that they have no plans to expand their store ownership. Chris Gardener, CBRE’s head of European retail said: “Improved consumer...