RETAIL AND LEISURE
Following the opening and success of their Liverpool Flagship last March, Lush is looking at opening more larger-format stores. The ethical beauty retailer is now considering vacant Debenhams and House of Fraser stores to better showcase their full range of products and services. The Liverpool store spans three floors and includes more experiential elements such as a spa, hair lab and perfume library.
JD Sports has announced that it will be opening a second store in Westfield Stratford signing a 10-year lease for the unit currently occupied by the flagship Topshop store that Arcadia announced they would be closing when its lease finishes. The store will be the sports retailer’s second within Westfield taking their total footprint in Stratford to more than 40,000 sq ft.
As part of his mission to bring British heritage brands back to the UK, retail tycoon Philip Day has invested in a new 30,000 sq ft site in Marylebone which will serve as the new London headquarters for his brands as well as a flagship for Jaeger and Austin Reed. The two brands are run by Day’s daughter Lauren and the opening is part of a wider roll-out for Jaeger that Day’s Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group are hoping will see the brand returned to its former glory.
Two new hotels have opened in Manchester at the city’s landmark building The Lume. The 212-bedroom Hyatt Regency and the 116-room Hyatt House in the Innovation District representing a milestone for Hyatts’s growth in the UK.
Console and videogame retailer GAME is to close 40 stores across the UK. The closures are mostly in outlets owned by intu and NewRiver. Closure notices have been served for 27 stores so far in areas including Mansfield, Canterbury, Watford, Glasgow Fort, Leicester, Derby, Norwich Chapelfield, Bexleyheath and Carmarthen.
Bookmaker BoyleSports has acquired William Hill’s chain of 33 shops in Northern Ireland and 2 sites on the Isle of Man. The acquisition takes BoyleSports total retail footprint to 317 across the UK & Ireland, 39 of which are in Northern Ireland. All of the stores will be rebranded as BoyleSports.
INVESTMENT
Bath’s Spring Wharf development has secured three tenants that complete phase one. Deeley Freed Estates and Legal & General have signed a 15-year lease with Pure Gym, a 10-year lease with health food retailer Scoop Wholefoods and a 10-year lease with cycling retailer Trek.
Construction has commenced on the £151m 30-storey development in London’s Docklands. Developer Rockwell has completed a £106m deal with Aviva Investors to fund what will house a mixed-use scheme including a 400-bed Premier Inn hotel, the largest in central London. Whitbread announced it would take a 30-year lease of the hotel and restaurant last month.
In a deal worth around £170m, Ingka Centres, the property arm of Ikea’s parent company Ingka Group, has acquired the Kings Mall shopping centre in Hammersmith, London. The centre is to be transformed into a “mixed-use destination” that will be anchored by one of the smaller format Ikea city stores.
in other news…..
Asda is to replace all of its in-store meat and fish counters with hot foot stations as part of their increased focus on the food-for-now market. Lidl is exploring a partnership with logistics company iForce which could see them launch an online delivery service delivering wine, spirits and non-food items. Aldi is to roll out compostable carrier bags to all UK stores following a trial that determined customers preference over paper. John Lewis have seen War Paint for Men launch in their London flagship store offering a make-up line specifically catering for men. Greggs are expanding their delivery presence across the country following trials in several cities last year. Vegan fast food brand Temple of Seitan are now offering elements of their menu in BrewDog bars across the UK. Caffè Nero have launched their new ‘Veganero’ menu including vegan products for breakfast, lunch and dessert.
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