Poole Retail Park 94% let after M&S Food opens
Redevco’s Poole Retail Park in Branksome, Dorset, is now 94% let after the opening of M&S Food.
The British retailer signed a 15-year lease for the scheme’s former Homebase unit, taking 44,690 sq ft. The new market-style foodhall offers a full range of M&S food and benefits from 199 car parking spaces, 58 cycle spaces, and four electric vehicle charging points.
M&S joins a number of retailers at Poole Retail Park including John Lewis, Next Home, Home Bargains, and Decathlon.
The letting follows Redevco’s acquisition of a £518m UK retail park portfolio from Oxford Properties in December 2024, which included Poole Retail Park. Since the acquisition, Redevco has aimed to drive leasing activity across the parks, bringing in a range of leading national retailers as it looks to strengthen the offer portfolio-wide.
At Euro Retail Park in Ipswich, Oak Furniture Land has signed for a 12,543 sq ft unit on a 10-year lease and is set to open in August, while Waitrose recently opened its newest store at Chelmer Village Retail Park in Chelmsford. Meanwhile at Bolton Gate Retail Park, The Food Warehouse by Iceland recently replaced Carpetright to open a 10,121 sq ft store.
Lauren Chew, senior asset manager at Redevco, said: “The signing of M&S is a strong endorsement of both Poole Retail Park and Redevco’s wider retail park portfolio. It reflects the continued resilience of the UK retail park sector, with accessible destinations offering ample parking and a complementary mix of retailers that continues to attract leading national brands.
“Since acquiring the retail park portfolio in 2024, we have maintained strong leasing momentum across our parks, enhancing the occupier mix and creating destinations that better serve both retailers and local communities.”
Mike Devine, head of acquisitions South, at M&S, said: “Poole Retail Park is our sixth former Homebase store to open and will deliver the very best of M&S Food to customers locally. As one of 20 new stores we’re opening across the UK this financial year, the store is designed to help families get their weekly shop in one trip and will deliver the trusted value, exceptional quality and innovation customers expect from M&S.”
CSP Retail and Green Lane Real Estate are the letting agents at Poole Retail Park for Redevco.