retail
Harrods will add three new stores to its ‘H Beauty’ concept following the success of its current locations in Lakeside and Milton Keynes. The concept offers Harrods’ portfolio of premium beauty brands along with a host of in-store beauty services. The luxury retailer will open another H Beauty site in Edinburgh this year, followed by stores in Newcastle and Bristol next year. Annalise Fard, director of home and beauty at Harrods, said: “The incredible response we have had to our first two H beauty store openings not only reflects the ongoing demand for exceptional, high-quality retail experiences outside of London, but also the passion for beauty that exists among the customers we serve in these regions.”
Leon is set to open its first drive-through restaurant following its acquisition by the Issa brothers’ EG Group. The food-to-go brand’s first drive-through will launch in West Yorkshire this autumn with eat-in space for fifty diners. EG Group aims to open around twenty new Leon sites per year from 2022, including multiple drive-through locations. In a joint statement, the Issas said: "Our investment in Leon, together with our unparalleled operational experience of drive-thrus and access to high-quality roadside locations through our forecourts, creates new opportunities for the company and a strong platform to deliver significant growth."
British menswear brand Lyle & Scott is to join other premium fashion retailers at Wembley’s London Designer Outlet. The brand will occupy an 800sq ft space at the outlet centre, its only London site. LDO’s catchment includes north London and the Home Counties, with brands such as Kurt Geiger, Guess and Radley forming part of its offering. The outlet centre is managed by specialist outlet operator Realm. Christine Grace, leasing director at Realm, said: “London Designer Outlet has maintained impressive momentum throughout the pandemic, signing leases with and opening the doors to new brands that guests will love... Lyle & Scott is the latest brand to join our community of brands and will be a very welcome treat for our fashion-savvy guests as they look for the highest quality clothing at outlet prices.”
Sports Direct has opened a new 35,000sq ft store in Fosse Park in order to bring a “unique retail offering” to Leicester. The store features the retailer’s new design and includes USC, Evans Cycles, Game and a gaming area. The new opening follows a £10m revamp for Sports Direct’s Oxford Street store in London, which sought to create more of a destination for shoppers with new services and digital product displays. Sports Direct head of elevation Michael Murray said in a statement: “This new store in Leicester demonstrates Frasers Groups’ confidence in our elevation strategy and commitment to opening new stores in key destinations throughout the UK.”
Leisure
TOCA Football will open its first restaurant and bar in London. The football training business, which operates 14 training centres across the United States and Canada, is to open the football-based TOCA Social at the O2 in Greenwich next month. Co-chairman Erik Anderson said: “[The company’s] primary focus is to bring people together around the largest sport in the world and capture moments from their past or show off to their mates, one way or the other with some great food”.
Holiday park operator Parkdean Resorts has added two fast-food chains to the F&B offering at its parks. The new Burger King franchise will open at the Trecco Bay Holiday Park in Porthcawl, South Wales, in August. London-based fried chicken brand Thunderbird signed a franchise deal with the parks and has opened a site at the Parkdean Resorts park in Camber Sands, with a second site to follow at the Trecco Bay park. Thunderbird has also been extending its dark kitchen estate in London this year and has announced plans to open four more bricks-and-mortar stores.
Property
A new report produced by Savills shows that logistics space occupied by online retailers has increased by 614% since 2015. The report, commissioned by the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA), reflects the impact of ecommerce on the logistics sector, but also on the retail sector as a whole: the main occupiers of warehouse space in 2015 were high street retailers. Head of industrial and logistics research at Savills, Kevin Mofid, said: “Whilst the shift to online has been talked about for years, these figures exemplify what a significant impact it has had on the make up of the UK warehouse market in a relatively short space of time.”
Lidl NI has proposed a new concept store at Carryduff Shopping Centre as part of a £10m investment in the area. The plans submitted to Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council this week include a 1,420sq m Lidl store and 1,730sq m of new retail units at the shopping centre, eight miles south of Belfast city centre. The new design concept includes wide, spacious aisles, restrooms and baby-changing facilities to contribute to an improved customer experience. Chris Speers, property executive at Lidl Northern Ireland, said: “We’re pleased to progress plans for the rejuvenation and redevelopment of Carryduff Shopping Centre following a very positive consultation with the local community. Carryduff is a thriving and vibrant area and it is clear that residents want to see the centre transformed into a contemporary space that will attract further investment and footfall.”
Openings and closures
German Doner Kebab is to open a flagship restaurant at the O2 in London’s Greenwich next month; Restaurant operator D&D London will open new Alpine-themed restaurant Haugen in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in September; Gordon Ramsay Restaurants has opened its sixth Street Burger site in Islington; Chef Jimmy Lee is to open Hong Kong street food concept Salt & Chilli Oriental at Edinburgh’s St James Quarter in July; UK steak restaurant Hawksmoor is to open its biggest restaurant to date in Canary Wharf; Restaurant The Magazine is to open on the site of a former Chucs restaurant at the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park; the team behind Indian restaurant group Kricket will launch their first bar, Soma, next door to their restaurant in Soho.
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