Insights Hub

LEISURE

Waka, the Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant that originally launched in the City, London in 2017 is to open its second London site near Liverpool Street with a third site already being negotiated.  Brainchild of siblings Irakli and Nino Sopromadze; the concept offers Nikkei cuisine which is a fusion cuisine created by settlers from Japan when they arrived in Peru in the 1800s.

Following the rise in pre-tax profits to £1.4m, Fulham Shore, who operate Franco Manca and The Real Greek restaurant brands, have announced plans to open between eight and ten further sites in the next 12 months. 

Escape rooms operator Ten Entertainment Group is looking to strengthen its pipeline by taking on former retail sites. Having previously targeted independent bowling operators they are now looking at sites between 20,000 and 30,000 sq ft as it continues its expansion plans to roll out across the UK “as widely as possible”. The company currently has four escape rooms at venues it operates with partner Houdini.

Global restauranteur HMSHost International have extended their partnership with designer outlet operator McArthurGlen that will see the opening of two new restaurants at the newly extended McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Ashford later this year. A Comptoir Libanais, the Lebanese cuisine restaurant and a Starbucks coffee shop will both open in October.

RETAIL

Fashion retailer Mango have signed up for 2 new sites with intu. The sites will be at intu Watford, within the new multi-million-pound redevelopment and extension project, and intu Merry Hill, which will be the only Mango store in the West Midlands outside of Birmingham.  These new stores will total almost 11,000 sq ft adding to the ambition plans to open around 65,000 sq ft of new selling space this year.

Greggs, the largest bakery chain in the UK has opened its 4^thdrive-thru site following the high demand they have experienced from their first three sites. The latest opening, that is just down the road from its birthplace in Newcastle, has created 20 new jobs and will offer customers seating for 40 people as well as an outside seating area that will also have 40 seats. The retailers other three drive-thru’s are located in Irlam, Greater Manchester, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire and just off junction 6 of the M65 near Blackburn.

Following the Arcadia CVA that gave them the go-ahead to close 23 stores across the UK they have reportedly lined up American footwear brand Vans to fill the former Miss Selfridge site on Oxford Street. Vans’ new store, that is expected to open by the end of the year, is a 6,000 sq ft site making it one of their largest globally.

Sainsbury’s has become the latest grocer to trial a reverse vending recycling scheme.  Customers will be able to deposit aluminium drinks cans or plastic bottles, up to three litres in size, in a machine at the store entrance that will be exchanged for money off coupons for their shopping. The trial is taking place at their stores in Lincoln, Hull and the Braehead superstore in Glasgow.

PROPERTY 

The Icon Outlet at the O2 in London has confirmed 3 new signings with the international bubble tea operator Coco, the luxury gelato brand Snowflake and excitingly the international debut site for Australian farm-to-table concept Butcher and The Farmer. Butcher and The Farmer was created by Steve Flood and Will Steward who won My Kitchen Rules in 2015 and operates a site in Sydney with two others in the pipeline.

Developer Premcor Estates has revealed plans for a £14m retail development on an underused transport depot in Durham. If planning is approved it will create around 100 new jobs within the three new retail outlets, one of which is a discount food store, and two drive-thru restaurant/coffee shops.