George Street is having a Marylebone moment. 

The last 12 months have brought a wave of quality operators to George Street – X-Club and atis are open and trading, Pachamama lands at the end of August and Empire Empire are bringing their second site to Marylebone following the success of their Michelin recognised debut in Notting Hill. With several more brands under offer, we are excited to see who else comes forward.

What’s driving it?

George Street is fast becoming the connective pitch between Marylebone High Street and The Portman Estate, reinforced by the arrival of Loxton Walk, a new landscaped and pedestrianised courtyard connecting Baker Street to George Street, and Blandford Street to George Street, soon to welcome leading London independents such as Le Choux, Iris Avenue and Matchado.

Unlike Chiltern Street, George Street offers a greater supply of slightly larger floorplates, making it attractive to brands that have outgrown smaller boutique units or simply have a larger requirement. For these operators, George Street provides the ideal balance of larger units, strong passing trade and access to an affluent worker and residential demographic, without the rent profile of a prime Baker Street location. As more reputable brands turn their focus to George Street, the quality of the occupier mix continues to improve creating momentum that is attracting further interest from likeminded operators.

One to watch!

37 – 39 George Street is in the planning process to be converted into a new reco-air restaurant with generous outside seating. Please get in touch for early details!

This week Karve opened in Victoria – the third location for the premium pilates studio that offers its clients everything from classes and coffee to a strong community.

Karve are my client within the tenant rep team, and I acted to bring them to Victoria. Other recent wellness operators the BGP team have brought to destinations across London and the UK include award winning fitness studio Blok, contrast therapy specialist Arc, smoothie brand Elevate, all Barry’s Bootcamp sites in London and throughout the UK and the sought after Marchon gym that opened in Victoria last month. What does that tell us? Well, apart from the fact that BGP has some amazing clients…..! It shows that wellness is no longer an add on to placemaking schemes. In fact in many mixed use developments; wellness businesses are becoming the anchor.

When it comes to London leasing, BGP was ahead of the wellness trend. We advised on some of the first and most progressive wellness tenant mixes, including the first ‘skyscraper gym’ within a building, BXR at 22 Bishopsgate as well as the first wellness village in London, Eccleston Yards established over 5 years ago.

Wellness operators, from gyms and strength studios to smoothie bars and saunas, are now a key element when creating a place that people want to travel to. They bring footfall daily, and – unlike dining consistently throughout the day, evening and weekends, while increasing dwell time. They create a community. In BGP’s recent panel discussion “How Well is Retail”, featuring White Rabbit and contrast therapy operator Arc Community CEO Chris Miller, he explained that the idea of Arc was as much about creating a community as a wellness concept. After all, the statistics on the lack of alcoholic drinks in young people speak for themselves – the pub is no longer the default place to meet and socialise, particularly for Gen Z. Instead, wellness studios and cafes are leaping into the (alcohol free) mixer. Gym and fitness concepts have proved incredibly good at creating these incredibly engaged communities, both online and in person – they have Instagram friendly studios, strong ‘community’ messaging and meet ups and events that extend far beyond the actual gym class.

The opportunity this presents for landlords is clear. Selecting a strong wellness operator for a scheme will help build long term loyalty for a destination and strong local engagement; while bringing 24/7 footfall to neighbouring businesses at the same time. Wellness is no longer an afterthought for landlords – its part of a habitual human lifestyle change. It’s a day to day essential for customers that is changing the way we approach placemaking.

Things are changing at Brent Cross.

The UK’s first indoor shopping centre opened its doors to customers in 1976, with the ribbon cut by King Charles III himself. Anchored by John Lewis, Apple and Fenwick’s, the centre offers nearly 914,000 sq ft of retail and hospitality and is North London’s most visited retail destination.

Today, Brent Cross is in the process of an incredible transformation. A new leisure offering is being revealed; at the end of last year, Padel Club and Social Sports brought a much needed sport offering to Brent Cross with the launch of 10 new padel courts, and negotiations are currently underway with some of the UK’s most exciting F&B operators.

And what about retail? A shift in the centre’s leasing strategy to draw in more aspirational operators is evident through recent openings. The hoardings are up, announcing the imminent arrival of a luxurious new Polo Ralph Lauren. Premium childcare apparel store Newbie has opened on the ground floor, shoe brand Geox and cult wellness brand Neom have opened their doors; and Gen Z favourite jewellery and accessories brand Lovisa’s upsize to a larger store will open soon. The openings form part of a wider strategy for Brent Cross to bring in a more progressive fashion and beauty offer, creating broad appeal for a wide age group ranging from teens and Gen Z to older customers.

The enormous opportunity at Brent Cross is obvious. The wider area is one of the most affluent in the UK, with 29% falling within the top 3 highest spending ACORN categories The catchment is set to be boosted by the 73 hectare Brent Cross Town development – under construction opposite the centre – which will deliver exceptional transport links, 6,700 new homes, 3 million square feet of office space and 50 acres of parks and green space to Brent Cross’s doorstep. It is anticipated to draw a huge increase in families and young people; transforming the area’s footfall in the process.

With so much happening and momentum set to continue throughout 2025, the transformation of Brent Cross has only just begun.

Bruce Gillingham Pollard, alongside Cushman and Wakefield, are appointed by Hammerson to handle Retail and F&B leasing for Brent Cross.

Victoria Street has experienced a metamorphosis in recent years. Take a wander down there today and you’ll discover a bustling hub of restaurants and bars, packed in among some of the capitals most in-demand ‘competitive socialising’ venues.  Recent crowd -drawing openings include Lane 7 and The Alchemist, joining the likes of Stix and Sushi, Timmy Green and Casa da Frango.Victoria Street’s position as one of the capital’s major social hubs will be cemented with this week’s first UK opening of the luxurious Parisian entertainment group BAM Karaoke Box. Housed in an incredible 10,000 square foot site with 22 private karaoke rooms, food from renowned chef Sabrina Gilda (ex Dorchester) and the uber-cool Bam Bam Bar, BAM is set to raise the bar not just for entertainment, but the whole hospitality and leisure scene in Victoria.

So how has Victoria Street transformed into a target for the world’s most innovative hospitality and leisure operators in the space of a few years?

The first major driver of change has come from an evolving office space landscape. According to the latest London Markets report, serviced offices account for 169,340 square foot in Victoria. But the occupancy of these offices has developed – once almost exclusively the home of civil servants, the area now hosts professional service companies and brands ranging from Bloomberg to Burberry. These businesses and their well paid staff represent a lot of valuable footfall – a fact not missed by hospitality and leisure brands.

Another key development for Victoria over the past 5 years has been transport. The £700 million Victoria Station Upgrade has improved links and ease navigating the area, with 45 million taps annually (April 2022-Mar 2023). With three tube lines, lots of bus routes and a revamped busy national station hosting the Gatwick Express, SW1 can now legitimately claim to be one of the best connected areas of London.

The shift in shopping patterns seen across London has also played a key role in the area’s changing dynamic. The demise of House of Fraser and closure of major fashion retailers in Victoria such as Hugo Boss are representative of the changing landscape for London’s retail picture – and highlight the potential opportunity for F&B and leisure.

We have managed Victoria Street for our client Landsec over the past decade. The launch of Nova  – the mixed use, three building development occupying the island site opposite Victoria station – in 2017 kick started the area’s F&B transformation, with The Rail House Café, Sticks n Sushi and Greenwood among the first lettings to draw the crowds.  A further vote of confidence came in the shape of The Ivy, which took over the former Jamie’s Italian site further down Victoria Street. High confidence in the wider area is also evident from Grosvenor’s reimagining of Belgravia and Buckingham Palace Road, and more recent investment from GAW Capital. But from a leisure perspective, it was the arrival and subsequent huge success of Flight Club in 2019 that provided the major endorsement to leisure brands looking for a central London location.

So where has this evolution left SW1?  Today, Victoria Street and the entire Nova development is fully let to a variety of premium leisure and hospitality operators. Lane 7 have opened with great success in the site adjacent to BAM, creating a footfall-driving entertainment hub. This – along with upcoming hospitality opportunities from the Portland House and Nova 2 redevelopment – make it clear that Victoria has a secure future as one of London’s top leisure and F&B destinations.

Charlotte Roberts is Head of London Retail at Bruce Gillingham Pollard.

Tap and Tandoor will be arriving at Westquay, Southampton this month!

It will be Westquay’s first Indian offering and specialises in craft beer, cocktails and home-style curries.  You’ll be able to enjoy a casual dining experience with a wide range of quality beers in a relaxed, family friendly environment. The brand operates in Solihull and Peterborough, with Westquay due to be its third site.

With Boom Battle Bar, All Bar One and Las Iguanas all recently open in the scheme, we believe Tap and Tandoor will complement these brands. All adding to our strategy of creating a more wet led pitch at Westquay, Southampton.

Great work Harry Cody-Owen and Victoria Broadhead who acted on behalf of our client Hammerson, to secure this letting!

F1 Arcade, the first Formula 1 licensed premium experiential venue of its kind, is to occupy an 11,000 sq ft unit at Paradise Birmingham, the £1.2bn business, leisure, and residential development in Birmingham. The move marks only the second UK venue for the brand after its first venue in London was announced earlier this year and opens later this month.

The unique attraction offers offer an immersive, cutting-edge F1 racing simulation experience for individuals and groups, with appeal for both corporate and social occasions across a wide-ranging demographic, including families. It features bespoke racing simulators designed especially for the venue, featuring motion and audio-visual effects to immerse guests in the race. The experience takes inspiration from the exhilarating world of Formula 1, with sleek venue design paired with best-in-class food and drink offerings.

The concept was created by Adam Breeden, the pioneer of competitive socialising with proven and consistent worldwide success in fuelling the rise in the competitive socialising trend, with notable venues including Flight Club, Bounce, Hijingo, All Star Lanes and Puttshack.

F1 Arcade will be in good company and will join existing leisure operators at Paradise, including Vinoteca, Dishoom, Albert’s Schloss and Rosa’s Thai. Paradise is also home to occupiers such as PwC, DLA Piper, Knights, Mazars, Atkins, Cazenove Capital and Cubo across its first two office buildings, One and Two Chamberlain Square.

The Paradise scheme is being brought forward through Paradise Circus Limited Partnership, a private-public joint venture with Birmingham City Council. The private sector funding is being managed by Federated Hermes, which has partnered with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board on the first phase of the development and for One Centenary Way, the 280,000 sq ft first part of Phase Two. MEPC is the development and asset manager.

MEPC Senior Development Manager, Ross Fittall, commented: “F1 Arcade will be a major new attraction for the city and one that will appeal to all ages and backgrounds. This truly ground-breaking new leisure concept is coming to Birmingham in only its second venue in the UK. With cutting edge gameplay, high quality food and drink and an inviting, innovative space, it will be an exciting venue with something for everyone”.

BGP advised the development partnership on the letting to F1 Arcade.

Vinoteca has taken a 3,390 sq ft unit in MEPC’s Paradise mixed-use development in Birmingham. The restaurant at Two Chamberlain Square is Vinoteca’s seventh outlet. Vinoteca co-founder Charlie Young said: “Birmingham has always been quick to embrace new food and drink concepts, and we felt this was the perfect setting for our first regional site. The huge success of the Commonwealth Games has just added to the city’s buzz and has brought a new awareness of Birmingham and all it has to offer.” The Paradise scheme is a major transformation of the heart of Birmingham, and comprises a mixed-use commercial development with up to ten new buildings including offices, a hotel, restaurants, bars and cafes as well as a 49-storey residential tower. The scheme is being progressed through a private-public joint venture with Birmingham City Council and funding managed by Federated Hermes. MEPC is the development manager. Bruce Gillingham Pollard (BGP) advised Federated Hermes and MEPC in the letting to Vinoteca. BGP director, Victoria Broadhead, added: “We have worked with a number of F&B concepts who have looked to expand regionally after establishing themselves in London. Vinoteca is an excellent brand which prides itself on working closely with producers to curate one of the UK’s most extensive wine lists. It has redefined the wine bar concept by offering a relaxed and laid-back experience that can be enjoyed by all. It is a letting which substantially enhances the eating and drinking options at the Paradise development.”