Loungers to join £45m Preston leisure complex
Café and bar chain Loungers has agreed to join Preston’s Animate complex, an under-construction scheme expected to be completed in 2025.
Signing a 15-year lease for a 4,265 sq ft unit at the scheme, Loungers will join the current roster of tenants including The Arc Cinema and Hollywood Bowl, as well as a number of other restaurants.
Animate is a £45m development designed by Leach Rhodes Walker and being delivered by Maple Grove Developments. The site will undergo a series of landscaping changes and feature an 164-space car park, a street food hub, and al fresco dining.
Preston City Council is funding the scheme, while its complementary public realm changes are being supported by Lancashire County Council. The project is part of the Preston’s 15-year development plan, and is one of six projects planned under the city’s Harris Quarter regeneration programme, which saw an injection of £20.9m from the government’s national towns fund initiative in 2021.
Councillor David Borrow, cabinet member for planning and regulation, said: “Loungers is a substantial operator in the UK hospitality sector and the business has proved to be one of the rising stars in the industry over the past three years. Its commitment to Animate is testament to the attractiveness of Preston as a great place to invest in and do business here.”
The signing of Loungers means only three units remain at the scheme, where construction began last month. Bradys and CBRE are joint letting agents for Animate, advising Maple Grove Developments.