London’s night-time economy is estimated to bring up to £26billion into the UK economy this year – but it is undergoing drastic changes. Music venues and nightclubs, often the heart of communities and catalysts for culture and creativity, are facing unprecedented challenges, driven by urban redevelopment and the associated planning policies.

There is clearly a need to stop the decline in these venues, but any attempts to mitigate this worrying trend must stem from a collective approach. There is a vast and complex set of stakeholders in play as cities continue to develop and evolve, but it is the developers and venues themselves that can have the most profound impact and shift the trend.

Village Underground (Shoreditch) were recently quoted as saying the average spend at their live events is just £6.27 per person. This is clearly a worrying figure when considered in isolation although this does not include their club nights which boast a higher figure. So what is the fix?

Formerly night-time focused venues act in an increasingly entrepreneurial manner. Spaces are becoming more flexible and provide a canvas that can be used for a multitude of revenue streams. Additionally, they may have permanent additional businesses intertwined; think cafes, restaurants or retail spaces that showcase collaborations.

A shining example of this is Printworks in Surrey Quays. The venue, housed in the former Daily Mail and Evening Standard printing house and now part of British Land’s huge east London development, has set the standard for multipurpose spaces. It is home to exhibitions, experiential events, conferences,  product launches and concerts, and last year worked with brands such a Nike, Adidas, Mercedes and Moschino to name a few. Granted, this is a space with amazing character and enviable scale, but it is this diversity in use that must be adapted by operators to ensure a sustainable future and I anticipate that we will see more and more of this across the Capital.

The acquired asset comprises 83,000 sq ft of retail, restaurant and cultural space across 13 units with tenants including The Ivy, Vapiano, Sainsburys and The Bridge Theatre. The scheme was developed by vendors Berkeley Group and occupies a prime location on the south bank of the Thames with views of Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and across to The City of London.

Andrew Vaughan, CEO at Redevco, said:

“Redevco is constantly on the lookout for opportunities aligned with changing consumer spending patterns and a growing focus on leisure such as mixed-use and F&B-led investments. London ranks as a leading global destination in this respect and this location, adjacent to Tower Bridge, encapsulates the key elements we are looking for in our experience-led investments. It is situated next to a world-class tourist attraction, which is a magnet for large numbers of visitors. The location also benefits from the footfall from offices and local high-end residential developments in the area.”

Woody Bruce, head of investment at BGP, said

“We were delighted to advise Redevco on this trophy purchase. Having been involved with the leasing of the development and with our lease consultancy team highly active within the vicinity, we were uniquely placed to advise on this iconically-located asset.”

For more information on this purchase, please contact Woody Bruce or Jack Barratt.

Law firm Osborne Clarke also advised Redevco on the purchase and JLL acted for the vendor Berkeley Group.

Having learned that these guys are soon to open in London, I felt it necessary to pay them a visit on a recent trip to Madrid – all in the name or research you understand!

Part of the Dogus group, Amazónico opened its doors in the summer of 2016, and has quickly become the beating heart of its neighbourhood, Salamanca in Madrid, drawing in celebrities, socialites and politicians.

A jazz club by night, it cleverly manages to morph from day to night time, providing light lunches and tapas during the day and fabulous cocktails and top quality jazz as the night time kicks in.  Its décor means you literally feel like you’ve entered the jungle!  The food was fantastic: a brilliant fusion of tropical, Asian and Mediterranean cuisine, with a generous input of Brazillian influence, from head chef Sandro Silva.

We went in the evening and the atmosphere was absolutely buzzing.   The cocktails were glorious (the tropical fruits are hand selected each day to ensure freshness), there is a sushi bar headed up by renow Japanese sushi chef Ita-Mae Massanori Miyamoto and I loved the open kitchen where I could see the tandoori and other exquisitely authentic cooking methods going on.

Amazónico is a fantastically put together celebration of some of the worlds most exotic and finest cuisines.  It’s due to open on Berkeley Square in London soon and will only add to the glamourous night time offering already available on the square, which includes Sexy Fish and Annabel’s.

This summer saw the opening of ‘Lost in Brixton’, a ‘hidden’ jungle-themed roof terrace with capacity for 440. This is the fifth venue from Incipio group who are also behind The Prince in West Brompton and the Pergola sites in Paddington and Olympia.

Following a similar winning formula to their other venues, Lost in Brixton features live music, local draft beer and a retractable for the summer evenings. However, unlike their previous venues, the food offer is sourced exclusively through existing traders within Brixton Village and makes use of a bespoke app ‘Tablesnappr’ which enables customers to order food from the market which is then delivered to your table.

We acted for the landlord, Hondo, on their acquisition of Brixton Village last year and continue to advise on the leasing and commercialisation strategy. Please contact Woody Bruce for further information.

ReTuna Mall in Eskilstuna is the world’s first shopping mall where everything is recycled. Revolutionising shopping in a climate-smart way, the shopping mall devoted to selling entirely pre-loved and reusable items.

What was the inspiration behind the mall?

A local politician came up with the idea in response to the EU Waste Plan which stipulates that all countries in the EU must reduce and reuse waste. They took the idea to Government in 2006/7 and in 2012 the decision was made. The job of running the mall was given to our local energy company Eskilstuna Energi & Miljö, which is who I work for.

You opened in August 2015. Since then the idea of the circular economy has become much better known, but what was the reaction back then?

Reactions were positive from the beginning and have been since then. We only had one complaint in the beginning which was that all materials now go to ReTuna and not to local charities. But this has resolved itself now as it related to second hand clothes and we get too many of these to handle anyway! A significant proportion are shared with our local charity shops.

What are your best sellers? What items do you find hardest to sell?

There are no materials that are necessarily harder or easier to sell. We receive literally everything you have in the household. Some customers think we’re expensive as they think we’re a flea market, but our good shops have a loyal following with customers who come every day. We often have dealers looking for something special and this is cool as it’s the circular economy. As time has gone by, ReTuna’s store holders have become a bit wiser about the prices that some items can fetch in the hands of a dealer.

What do you do with items that you cannot resell?

Our store owners dispose of them responsibly, or wherever possible we supply to schools and pre-schools. They get quite a lot of their handicrafts materials from us.

How do you pick your store holders?

Each shop has to have a business plan before they are allowed to establish themselves. We only have one second-hand shop which is a charity and the other shops are more specific. For example, we have one sports equipment/bike store, one for kids, 3 different shops for furniture (each with different colours/types). Stock changes all the time depending on what’s brought in. One month you might find 5, 6 or 7 different clothing brands and another month you might find lots of different furniture brands. Obviously different stuff sells better at different times of year, so for example right now, with the onset of spring, bikes are selling well and people are coming to get bikes repaired.

Do you have any plans to expand and seek further sites?

We don’t but we are an inspiration for other businesses who see us as successful, and see that we can make money being sustainable. I really hope this helps established brands realise that it’s OK to resell their own brands too. A lot of brands in Sweden are now running campaigns where you can leave your old phone and get a new one; they are starting to see that it can pay to be sustainable. I get lots of calls from people all over the globe who have heard of us and are interested in doing something similar in their own countries; calls from India, the US, Australia, Japan, Canada…Sweden has a tradition of recycling, so it’s easy for us to get this movement started.

Can you explain the typical journey of an item that I may bring in to be recycled?

An item is taken to the drop off centre, staff will either come out and help you unload your car or you can go to the recycling centre and sort it in the containers yourself… All items are then taken inside and sorted by our staff. Legally it must be left as “waste”. We then allocate it to appropriate stores – each store has its own depot so we sort items into their depot. The store holders then take the items decide what they will repair, sell or destroy.

What advice would you give somebody setting up a similar venture?

It took a lot of courage because we were being questioned all the time from all sides. One thing I wish we had at ReTuna is a workshop, a space where all our store holders can work together as they repair and sort stuff. It’s hard for them to repair in their shops whilst customers are there and it would be good for there to be somewhere where they can relax while they work.

We read a lot about how wasteful the fashion industry is. Are there any particular brands you admire for their efforts towards sustainability?

The fashion business have a lot to do! More and more fashion brands are opening up about their supply chains but I feel they have a lot of hidden areas and if they had the courage to be transparent, we would have more confidence in them. The brand I most admire in Sweden is Phillippa K as they are trying to be more circular in their operations. The fact is, there is already enough fabric in the world. We don’t need to produce anymore at all. It’s hard to see sustainability in producing more fabric.

What do people tell you that they most enjoy about a visit to your mall?

They love the concept and if you’re a person living in the locality you really feel that you’re part of the business because you leave stuff with us, you then come and buy stuff from us, keep it at home for a bit and then bring it back again. We try to supply schools and encourage them to do their shopping at the mall so as to ensure we profile the up-cycle business as the way forward for future generations.

How do you know that you are reducing waste?

We try to measure the reduced waste in turnover. Since we started we have valued our reduced waste at over 30,000,000 Swedish krona, which is 2,838,494.69 euros / £2,465,212.31 GBP.

www.retuna.se

Just in time for the dark days of December, Richard Caring’s sparkling Brassiere of light is a sumptuous combination of Selfridges and Damien Hirst. What’s not to like? Located on Selfridges’ first floor, opposite St Christopher’s Place, Caring’s latest venture is the epitome of its name with floor to ceiling windows that flood the space with natural light. The elegant, art deco design, created by Martin Brudnizki will make you feel like an extra in an Agatha Christie film, evoking all the glamour and sophistication of the Orient Express.  The central bar is well-placed for sipping cocktails or afternoon tea (which arrives amongst a trail of smoke!) True theatre!

Headed up by chef Emanuel Machado (formerly of Covent Garden’s Balthazar), the menu offers British classics and internationally-inspired dishes.  His signature dish is Spaghetti with lobster but we also highly recommend the Pegasus Pie served with a yuzu coconut cloud for dessert.  The cocktails are equally as eclectic and specially created for the restaurant.  The Queen of Time (an all-English interpretation of a Kir Royale, which takes its name from sculpture that sits over the main entrance) and Est. 1909 (a gin and prosecco cocktail inspired by Selfridges 109th anniversary) were particularly palatable.

However, for the real wow factor, you need to look to the vast double height space in the centre of the restaurant.  Here, in true Selfridges’ style, Damien Hirst’s glorious, 24 ft. crystal encrusted Pegasus soars above your head, with hooves lifted, chasing the stars across the sky.  Every aspect of the restaurant is enjoyable, and once you’ve finished staring at the ceiling and need to focus on the more mundane, the washrooms are equally as impressive!  Perhaps inspired by the 1970s Bond movies, they are  riot of baby pink with marble trimmings galore.  Love them or loathe them they are bound to be an Instagram sensation before the party season is out!

With the High Street under threat and online companies such as Amazon doing so incredibly well, it’ll come as no surprise to hear that retailers are having to be imaginative (to say the least!) in order to reach their consumers. Matchesfashion.com has pioneered this change by becoming so much more than simply any other online fashion store.

They have taken over 5 Carlos Place, in the heart of London’s luxurious Mayfair to offer not just designer fashion, but events, private shopping and a creative broadcasting place with the aim to create a community for their customers.

Lovingly restored by Architects P Joseph, the house now feels more like the private home of a well-travelled couple; brimming with items they have collected on their travels.  The garden has a similar theme; that of a slightly eccentric Victorian traveller, and is a great space for visitors to envelope themselves away from the city on their doorstep.  Spread over 5 floors, you can shop and try on the full online store with the help of an iPad, whilst enjoying beautifully curated themes and collaborations from both leading and up-coming designers on the ground floor.  On the second floor there is an event space dedicated to all manner of events, from dinners and masterclasses, to debates and musical performances.

September 2018 offered cocktails with Mario Sorrenti and an exclusive signing of his book of never-before-seen photographs of Kate Moss, and a chat with East London fashion designer Lulu Kennedy.  Unfortunately my visit didn’t happen to fall on either of these days!

As I ventured further up the staircases I found a space dedicated to a bespoke shopping experience where you can book a stylist team to help curate your own designer wardrobe, and finally there is the broadcast studio where the house’s rich library of podcasts and films are recorded for broadcasts to the wider online community.

All in all, definitely one to watch. The way we shop is changing and Matchesfashion.com is paving the way.