Retail Property Insights

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 […]

Government can use retail and leisure sectors to unlock growth, says Revo

27th September 2024

The upcoming Autumn Statement gives the government the opportunity to unlock economic growth by supporting the retail and leisure sectors, according to new research by Revo. Revo – the trade body for the retail and leisure real estate sector – has partnered with insight and foresight consultancy Trajectory, as well as over 30 sector figures and academics, to conduct scenario planning, with the objective of identifying how its members can prepare for how the industry might look in 2034. The report will be published in full later this year and looks to present new perspectives on the possible and plausible futures for the UK retail and leisure property industry. Revo’s scenario planning looks at three possibilities of how the industry may look in 2034: Under each of the above scenarios, Revo and its partners have looked at the forces which may be shaping retail and leisure real estate sector in 2034. These include the growth of generative AI to the future-proofing of assets from the risks posed by climate change. Whilst the full report will be launched later this year, the highlights from the research launched at this year’s Revo Conference call on the retail and leisure real estate sector […]

How Centre:mk worked with a charitable tenant to make an impact in the community

22nd August 2024

Whilst charitable causes and non-profits are often found in retail centres across the country, it’s rare that they ever take centre stage. However at Centre:mk in Milton Keynes, a new initiative saw the scheme dedicate mall space, time, and personnel to a local charity focused on raising awareness and donations for those trying to get back into work. At the end of June, the shopping centre held a three-day event in partnership with local charity partner Works For Us (part of Citizens Advice), which aims to help disadvantaged people get back to work with employment assistance and digital training. The charity’s headquarters – which is based within the shopping centre’s management suite – promotes social inclusion by helping people to make informed choices about employment and training needs, providing them with a pathway to paid or better paid work. Works For Us enables people to access vocational guidance, training, and volunteering, helping them raise their skill levels, qualifications, motivation, and confidence to help them to compete more effectively in the labour market. Running from 28-30 June, the ‘Retire Your Attire’ event saw local residents and workers donate over 400 items of clothing to help those in need. Kelly Murdoch, team manager at […]

Cotswolds Designer Outlet: Q&A with the team behind the development – plus the latest pictures

16th July 2024

Construction continues to progress at Cotswolds Designer Outlet in the southwest of the England, one of the few new outlet destinations in development in the UK this year. Led by developer Robert Hitchins, Cotswolds Designer Outlet is being delivered in two phases and is set to create 186,000 sq ft of outlet space for up to 90 fashion, sport, lifestyle and F&B brands. With less than a year till Phase One opens, the scheme is already 75% exchanged or in legals. Outlet retail specialist Multi-Realm (formerly Realm) is leasing and operating the scheme. Completely Retail News spoke to Christine Grace, leasing director at Multi-Realm, and Simon Tothill, property and development director at Robert Hitchins, about outlet shopping and how development at the scheme is progressing: While high streets and shopping centres are still feeling the pinch of the cost-of-living crisis, how are outlets still able to report good performance and what does this say about overall retailer confidence? Christine Grace and Simon Tothill Leisure and F&B play an important role in most successful retail schemes, what does it mean for outlet retailing, and what can we expect to see at CDO? How do brands (fashion brands in particular) think about...

Reimagining retail: how to breathe new life into old stores

7th June 2024

The reverberations of high-profile collapses are still being felt — from Debenhams and House of Fraser to Beales and Edinburgh's Jenners, as well as Fenwick’s sale of its store on London’s New Bond Street. But retail is not dead – it is embracing change. With clever reimagining, reinvention and retrofitting of spaces, new life is being breathed into old stores.

Completely Retail Marketplace: cause for optimism as market heats up

1st May 2024

Spirits were high at the Completely Retail Marketplace event on 30th April, as activity in the retail and leisure property market shows no signs of slowing down. There was a buzz at Old Billingsgate, as an attendance of over 1,500 property professionals, retailers, and occupiers demonstrated a continuing demand for space in a market which has taken somewhat of a beating over the last few years. One retailer said that despite “a lot more optimism in the market”, the issue now is being able to find enough space to open new stores, as a desire to expand into untapped markets is hindered by the unavailability of suitable, and large enough, retail units. This view was echoed by one agent, who said that high demand means there simply isn’t enough space to let at times, save for some small pockets of development. Business rates also remained high on the agenda, with some occupiers put off by the UK’s demanding rates system. Despite this, some food and beverage operators are finding alternative ways to meet their requirements. Loungers, the company behind the Lounge, Cosy Club, and Brightside concepts, said its strategy involved targeting “unfashionable” high streets. The group opened 36 sites last...