Retail Property News

Hollywood Bowl to open second Northern Ireland location following £9m development

9th June 2025

Hollywood Bowl is set to open its second location in Northern Ireland at The Boulevard in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, following a £9m development. The leisure operator will open a 23,000 sq ft, 21-lane bowling lane and family entertainment centre after the Planning Committee of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon County Council granted planning permission for the development. This will see a £9m development of the western part of the scheme, with the landlord set to create a ‘Food and Entertainment Quarter’ spanning 60,000 sq ft, which expands the gross leasable area to approximately 220,000 sq ft. Alastair Coulson, managing director at Lotus Property, said: “Welcoming Hollywood Bowl to The Boulevard is an exciting moment in the scheme’s history as it triggers a multi-million pound redevelopment to create a ‘Food and Entertainment Quarter’. “The Boulevard is already a successful destination for families and the arrival of Hollywood Bowl and the tranche of new F&B tenants that we expect to follow will support its transition into a compelling day-to-night option for customers. “This latest tenant signing comes as The Boulevard celebrates its best trading performance in the scheme’s history consistently bucking the national trend for a decline in footfall with sales performance for 2025 […]

Anthropologie opens second Scottish store at Glasgow’s Princes Square

6th June 2025

Anthropologie has opened its second store in Scotland at Princes Square by M in Glasgow. The global lifestyle brand has taken a 4,300 sq ft store, with 3,325 sq ft of trading space, on a 10-year lease. The store features homewares, accessories, and clothing from Anthropologie’s own fashion labels as well as a curated selection of womenswear brands. Anthropologie at Princes Square becomes the brand’s second store in Scotland and its nineteenth store across the UK, reflecting the brand’s continued nationwide growth. Rakesh Joshi, director at LCP, part of Princes Square owner M Core, said: “At M Core, we are passionate about enhancing the visitor experience at Princes Square by M. The signing of a global brand like Anthropologie reflects our commitment to creating a dynamic destination for shoppers and ensuring Princes Square by M remains a thriving retail hub in Glasgow.” Alex Williams, senior asset manager and head of Scotland at LCP added: “We’re delighted that Anthropologie has chosen Princes Square by M to open its second store in Scotland. We’re confident that this new high-profile store opening will further strengthen the shopping destination’s fashion and lifestyle offering and prove popular with visitors. We look forward to announcing more...

JD Sports upsizes at Manchester’s Trafford Centre to open largest store globally

6th June 2025

JD Sports is has tripled the size of its store at Manchester’s Trafford Centre, and will reopen what becomes the brand’s largest store globally. The sportswear retailer will open the doors to its flagship 41,000 sq ft store, which features a 92-metre frontage, this Saturday (June 7). The store will feature takeovers from brands such as Nike, Adidas, PUMA, On Running, as well as JD Sports exclusives. Marcus Briggs, managing director at Pradera Lateral, asset manager of Trafford Centre, said: “The anticipation and excitement has been building for this opening of JD’s Trafford Centre flagship store. The respective property, marketing and design teams have worked extremely hard to deliver a store of global significance for our Trafford Centre visitors and we are all delighted with the outcome. We really value our longstanding partnership with JD.” Régis Schultz, chief executive officer of JD Sports Fashion, added: “The opening of our largest store in the world at Trafford Centre is a proud and landmark moment for JD. We see the world through the mindset of our customer, know what they want and set the trends for them. This opening showcases JD’s relentless drive to bring our global customers exceptional retail experiences and […]

Rituals continues UK expansion with Highcross Leicester signing

6th June 2025

Rituals is set to continue its aggressive expansion across the UK with the opening of a new store at Highcross Leicester this July. The wellbeing brand – which operates over 1,150 stores worldwide – will be taking a 2,300 sq ft space located near Zara and Therapie on the scheme’s upper mall. The store will offer products such as shower gels, scented candles, skincare products, and home fragrances, and also feature immersive elements. Rituals becomes one of a number of new arrivals at Highcross, joining recent additions such as Mango and the soon-to-open Maki & Ramen. Michelle Menezes, centre director of Highcross, said: “At Highcross, we’re not just about providing a shopping location – we’re curating experiences. Rituals offer something new and exciting, going beyond everyday transactions to encourage visitors to slow down, reconnect, and find moments of peace in their daily routines. It’s a fantastic addition to the centre, and reflects the high-quality brands we’re proud to welcome to Leicester. “Rituals is one of several exciting new arrivals for us, this year, and forms an important part of our ongoing commitment to bringing in-demand, experience-led brands to the city.”

Stradivarius to make Glasgow debut at Silverburn

6th June 2025

Stradivarius, the womenswear retailer owned by fashion giant Inditex, is set to join Silverburn shopping centre in Glasgow. The retailer will be taking a 6,462 sq ft unit for its first-ever store in Glasgow. Stradivarius’s arrival at Silverburn means that the retail and leisure destination will soon host four Inditex brands with a line-up that includes the newly-opened Zara flagship and Pull&Bear, as well as the incoming Bershka which opens this summer. This latest signing follows a busy start to the year for Silverburn, which has signed deals with the likes of Haribo, H Beauty, and Hollister, and also welcomed the arrivals of Black Sheep Coffee, Hotel Chocolat, and Jack & Jones. Alberto Esguevillas, CEO of UK retail at Eurofund Group, which manages Silverburn, said: “Inditex stores remain a key attraction for consumers, and we are proud to be Glasgow’s only destination offering such an extensive complement of its brands. The addition of international leading brands and the ongoing evolution of Silverburn is translating into better sales performance and higher footfall, significantly enhancing Silverburn’s status as the leading destination in Scotland.” Eurofund Group and Henderson Park – which owns Silverburn – were represented by Culverwell and Time Retail Partners.

British Land completes 15,000 sq ft of F&B deals at Broadgate

5th June 2025

British Land has agreed five deals with food and beverage operators at the Broadgate Campus in the City of London, representing over 15,000 sq ft of letting activity. The first of the new lettings is wine bar Vagabond, opening in Broadgate Central, which spans the ground and lower floors of 1 Broadgate and 100 Liverpool Street and links Liverpool Street station to Finsbury Avenue Square, offering 120,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space. Meanwhile, Northern Spanish-inspired bar and restaurant concept Bar Kroketa has recently opened at Broadgate, while US taco brand Velvet Tacos is set to take space at Broadgate Circle, joining Lebanese restaurant Comptoir Libanais and pizzeria Franco Manca, both of which have re-signed for another 10 years at the destination. The lettings are a continuation of ongoing leasing momentum at Broadgate, with British Land announcing in February that it had delivered c.200,000 sq ft of office leasing activity since the start of the calendar year, whilst also securing a number of high-profile fashion brands at Broadgate Central including Ralph Lauren, Mango, Luca Faloni, Hobbs, and Whistles. These additions look to complement the campus’ occupier base and reinforce its status as a seven-day destination. Broadgate offers a total...

TALA and PURESEOUL lead host of openings in Shaftesbury Capital’s Soho estate

5th June 2025

Shaftesbury Capital has welcomed a number of new openings across its Carnaby Street and Soho portfolio, including a UK debut for TALA and PURESEOUL’s largest location to date. Opening at 3-4 Carnaby Street, TALA has opened its first ever UK store. Founded by entrepreneur Grace Beverly, the brand’s 2,000 sq ft store offers a range of activewear as well as an exclusive in-store product range. Meanwhile, Korean beauty retailer PURESEOUL will open its flagship store this month at 11-12 Carnaby Street. The 3,000 sq ft, two-storey space will be the brand’s largest store in the UK and stock over 2,000 products. Also opening within Shaftesbury Capital’s estate is Brazilian fashion brand FARM Rio, which has opened its first dedicated store in the West End. The brand’s 2,030 sq ft space offers a collection of womenswear, including maxi dresses, graphic t-shirts, tailored minis, and matching sets. Another brand making its UK debut is Autry, having opened a 2,600 sq ft store at 61-63 Beak Street in close proximity to other footwear brands, Salomon and Axel Arigato. The brand offers a range of unisex footwear with a sports-performance twist. Relocating to 46 Carnaby Street, MAC Cosmetics has launched a new concept store. […]

Landsec appoints leasing agents to two newly acquired schemes

5th June 2025

Landsec has appointed leasing agents at two assets in the north of England it acquired at the end of 2024. Bruce Gillingham Pollard and Stärka have been instructed to carry out F&B and leisure leasing at Manchester’s MediaCity and Liverpool ONE shopping centre. Landsec took full control of MediaCity in November last year before acquiring Liverpool ONE in December for £490m. MediaCity is a 200-acre mixed-use development home to TV studios and a tech hub. The scheme also features 80,000 sq ft of retail and leisure accommodation. Liverpool ONE opened in 2008 and is one of the most modern major retail destinations in the UK and offers a mix of retail, food and beverage, and leisure brands. Recent upsizes and new lettings at the scheme include UNIQLO, Zara, and Marks and Spencer.

Cornish Bakery appoints first property director as it targets over 400 locations

5th June 2025

Cornish Bakery has appointed has appointed its first ever property director as it looks to grow to over 400 locations nationwide. The chain – which currently operates 66 bakeries across the UK – has appointed Jeremy Smith to lead its expansion push. Smith brings over 30 years of experience in property acquisition and estate management, having spent six of those at FatFace where he helped grow the business from 70 to 181 stores. He went on to lead similar rollouts at Crew Clothing, before a five-year stint as group property director at Mothercare. Most recently, Smith was property director at The Works, where he managed a 500 store estate. In his new role, smith will work alongside Cornish Bakery managing director Mat Finch to acquire leasehold shops in the chain’s target locations. This comes as Cornish Bakery identifies 411 target locations nationwide, following a period of planning with an independent consultancy. The chain opened its first bakery of 2025 in Cirencester earlier this year, and is set to open another six in 2024. Mat Finch, managing director of Cornish Bakery, said: “The consultancy work has validated our belief that ‘bakery is the new coffee shop’ whilst confirming that there is […]

Leisure-anchored Huddersfield shopping centre heads to market with £36m price tag

4th June 2025

A shopping centre in Huddersfield town centre has been placed on the market with a £36.25m asking price, reflecting a net initial yield of 10.5%. Spanning 280,000 sq ft, Kingsgate Shopping Centre sits on a freehold 5.41 acre site and is anchored by Sports Direct, Tk Maxx, and leisure operator The Light, which opened this year. The scheme is also set to welcome Boots in 2026. The asset generates a total gross income of £4,457,644 per annum and has a weighted average unexpired lease term of 7.34 years to break and 9.07 years to expiry. Kingsgate Shopping Centre – which was acquired at the end of 2024 by Northdale Asset Management – is also supplemented by a 650-space multi-storey car park. The scheme sits adjacent to the town’s only other managed shopping centre, Packhorse Shopping Centre, which is predominantly home to an independent line-up of retailers and food and beverage operators. Adjacent to the main entrance of Kingsgate is the Piazza Shopping Centre, which is set to be demolished as part of a major redevelopment within the town’s ‘Cultural Heart’ initiative. Construction is currently underway, with completion of Phase One expected in 2026. Cushman & Wakefield have been appointed to find...

Hammerson CEO to retire in 2026

4th June 2025

Hammerson has announced that its chief executive Rita-Rose Gagné has announced her intention to step down from the business and retire in 2026. Gagné – who has been CEO at the real estate investment trust since November 2020 – will remain with the business over the next 12 months while a successor is identified. Hammerson said its board will now commence a formal and thorough recruitment process for its next CEO and provide further updates in due course, including the date on which Gagné will step down from her position. Robert Noel, chair of Hammerson, said: “On behalf of the board and the Hammerson team I would like to thank Rita-Rose for her outstanding leadership and immense contribution to the business since November 2020. “During this time, she has driven a substantial turnaround, transforming and strengthening Hammerson into the largest UK-listed, pure-play owner and manager of prime retail and leisure anchored city destinations. The company is now well positioned to continue to deliver growth and value creation.” Prior to joining Hammerson, Gagné was president of growth markets at Ivanhoé Cambridge, responsible for over £5.9bn of real estate assets, platforms, and a development pipeline across Asia Pacific and Latin America. Having joined […]

Praxis brings Loungers to Plymouth suburb

4th June 2025

Hospitality group Loungers is set to open a new café and bar in the Plymstock suburb of Plymouth, Devon. The group has signed a 15-year lease with Praxis for a 4,800 sq ft unit at Plymstock Broadway, the suburb’s dominant retail parade. Loungers will join retailers at Plymstock Broadway such as Boots, Iceland, Superdrug, Specsavers, and anchor tenant Poundland, which operates a 20,000 sq ft store. The 76,000 sq ft shopping destination is home to 43 units in total and is supplemented by 341 car parking spaces. Ilan Goldman, director of retail at Praxis, said: “We are delighted to welcome Loungers to our Plymstock development. “This letting aligns perfectly with our vision to create vibrant, community-focused spaces that serve the needs of local residents while driving footfall to our developments.” Praxis said the signing demonstrates its continued commitment to curating an optimal tenant mix that enhances community amenities whilst delivering strong investment returns.