BEHIND THE BUSINESS | DIN TAI FUNG 🥟

At BGP we’re very proud to represent some of the most exciting names in retail and hospitality, helping them find the right locations for their next chapter and future growth.

One of our newer clients is Din Tai Fung – the globally renowned Taiwanese restaurant brand with a fast-growing presence in London. We are retained to help Din Tai Fung expand across the city and beyond, bringing them to some of London’s most sought after and visible locations.

WHO ARE DIN TAI FUNG?

Founded in Taiwan more than 60 years ago, Din Tai Fung is famous for its handmade Xiao Long Bao – a handcrafted 18-fold soup dumpling filled with juicy pork and wrapped in a delicate dough skin – a meticulous attention to detail and their memorable, open dining restaurant experience.
WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OF DIN TAI FUNG?

Din Tai Fung was originally founded as a cooking oil retailer in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1958 as a husband and wife team.  When the introduction of tinned cooking oil changed the industry, they began selling Xiao Long Bao as another arm of the business. These developed a huge following; and the cooking oil side of the business was phased out entirely.

WHAT MAKES THE DINING EXPERIENCE SPECIAL?

The restaurant is known for its meticulous attention to detail – from ingredient selection to preparation and table service.

Din Tai Fung’s open kitchens make the preparation of Xiao Long Bao part of the dining experience, allowing customers to watch the precision and skill involved in their creation.

WHERE CAN I FIND DIN TAI FUNG?

Din Tai Fung opened its first UK restaurant in Covent Garden in 2018 and has since established a growing London presence.

Its four existing locations span some of the capital’s most prominent destinations:

Covent Garden – Henrietta Street, in the heart of London’s West End.

Selfridges – Fourth floor of the iconic Oxford Street department store.

Centre Point – St Giles Square, off Tottenham Court Road.

Canary Wharf – Crossrail Place

Excitingly – the next chapter is already underway, with a fifth London restaurant planned for King’s Cross.  1 Lewis Cubitt Walk will open in December 2026. The 160-cover restaurant will introduce a dedicated alfresco dining space, community dining room, dumpling masterclasses and an expanded bar experience.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR EXPANSION?
With an established London footprint and a fifth restaurant on the way, Din Tai Fung continues to develop its presence in the capital.

Finding the right location is about more than securing a prominent address – we are looking for destinations that complement the brand, connect with its customers and provide the right setting for its unique dining experience.

Rupert Bentley Smith acted for Din Tai Fung to secure Kings Cross, and is leading Din Tai Fung’s expansion across London. To discuss ideas and opportunities, please get in touch.

Part time retail roles are at risk. The BRC (British Retail Consortium) has warned that one in ten part time roles could be lost over the next three years as a result of rising employment costs.

But as experiential retail continues to evolve and brands focus on in-store experiences and community building over anything else in 2025, I believe part time staff are becoming MORE essential to a brand’s retail success, not less – and should be celebrated.

Before I started my role as Graduate Surveyor at BGP, I worked as an educator and visual merchandiser at Lululemon, after years of retail and hospitality roles alongside my studies. It taught me so much more than how best to fold a pair of leggings; most importantly, how to deliver top grade service through every interaction. Full time staff are supported heavily by those part time employees who step constantly to boost the ranks at busy times, cover absence and elevate service levels. While the full-time worker is just as important, it is vital for companies to appreciate their part time staff just as much and consider their commitment to their job.

Brands like Fred Perry have built strong customer communities. Fred Perry has a partnership with the Music Venue Trust to support grassroots music venues. In store, it’s their staff who act as the true brand ambassadors, becoming the face behind the brand. The brand is passionate about creating a diverse retail team and a positive working environment. They value personal development, are big on flexibility for staff, and have great perks ranging from staff discount and healthcare/life insurance access.

Aesop is a brand that recognises the importance in investing in staff – they fund training that enables retail staff to become certified facial therapists. Well supported, happy retail workers create positive experiences for the customer.

As agents in the Tenant Rep team, we don’t just negotiate on location and space – we understand how stores work, from the difficulties of building a staff rota on an August weekend to how to build a space where your staff can interact with customers in a way that will keep them coming back. And that’s because we’ve been there, on the shop floor, doing it ourselves. All my years working in retail and hospitality have provided me with an understanding on what the customer may be looking for from direct experience, conversation and built relationships. These roles have been completely valuable to my career as a surveyor.

I believe that if there are less part time workers in retail, this means decreased customer service. And that means lack of engagement, increased frustration and a less memorable shopping experience – which ultimately leads to customers going elsewhere. So, stores, recognise the value in not just keeping your part time workers, but in treating them well – they make a huge difference to brand reputation and customer experience.

It was devastating to see Chiltern Street’s most famous resident, the celebrity and fashion-crowd favourite Chiltern Firehouse, up in flames. It’s an iconic destination that will leave a hole in London’s hospitality scene while it is closed.

But while the hotel has been the setting for the headlines, there is so much more to Chiltern Street than Firehouse. It’s a haven for independent brands, creative collaborations and coveted pop ups. So in the wake of the blaze, we want to shine a light on the other incredible businesses that call this beautiful street home.

Chiltern street gets its name from the Grand Central Railway route to the Chiltern Hills which ran into Marylebone station. The stunning Victorian gothic architecture of the red brick period buildings make it one of the prettiest roads in the West End, with tourists eagerly snapping away to brag about the hidden gem they’ve discovered just a stone’s throw from Oxford Street. Owned and managed by the Portman Estate, its also part of the first London estate to achieve B Corp certification for its commitment to social and environmental performance and transparency.

Over recent years, Chiltern street  – which is now fully let – has become a sought after location for independent creative retailers. This is the shopping destination for those who don’t want the same as everybody else. Cult Danish retailer Anna and Nina are the latest to snap up space, with their new store coming to number 54 next month. The Street has a particularly strong menswear offering –  Oliver Spencer, Trunk Clothiers, John Simmonds and Sunspel to name a few – but the retail offer here is wide, with a tenant mix that includes Monc eyewear, Cire Trudoin’s luxurious candles and Sabre Paris’s iconic cutlery collection.

How has Chiltern Street become a haven for innovative independent retailers?

Bruce Gillingham Pollard’s London Retail team have worked with Portman Estates to curate Chiltern Street’s renowned ecosystem of likeminded luxury operators since 2022. The established presence of other creative boutiques and status as an independent retail hub makes it an appealing prospect for an innovative independent brand looking to build a connection with consumers. “The tenant mix on Chiltern is unique, ”says Lizzie, London Retail Director.  “Some of our operators are internationally established brands such as Sabre Paris and Jacques Marie Mage who want their first – and often only –  London store within a sought after, quintessentially English setting. The British brands are drawn to the creative boutique hub and are attracted to this location as they favour building their business with loyal and repeat customers.”

Then there’s the aspirational, style conscious groups that come to the area to shop, with ’Prosperous professionals’ and ‘Up and Coming Urbanites’ forming two of the key Acorn groups within the area’s footfall – more than 15% higher than other streets in the surrounding area.

The incredible architecture and desirable location of Chiltern Street has also made it a target for pop ups and collaborations. Global beauty sensation Rhode opened its first London pop up on Chiltern Street last summer, with trending clips on TikTok scanning the five hour queues. Then there was the Monocle X Gucci pop up; cue another TikTok moment, as crowds rushed to witness the iconic coffee spot’s fashion makeover and bag one of those Gucci X Monocle cups in Ancora – the shade of Gucci’s new collection.

Brand collaborations are a recurring theme. Recently, Grandiosa X Cult Gaia brought customers into the artisan florist to experience the new fragrance, while neighbours Howmatcha offered a limited edition Cult Gaia matcha in honour of the occasion. Monc, another longtime resident, launched a collaboration with Monocle to create the Chiltern Monocle, a limited edition frame inspired by the street. These partnerships keep Chiltern Street firmly on the socials, maintaining footfall and building its reputation as a creative hub.

“The pop up/collab brand gets visibility from the location and great content for their socials, whilst the street benefits from a new customer coming into the area, such as last summer’s Rhode pop up,” says Lizzie. “It’s great to see Chiltern Street build a reputation as the home of cool brand collaborations.”

Firehouse is closed while for the refit, but Chiltern Street’s F&B offer remains strong, with Monocle Cafe, Chiltern Street Deli and newly opened Avo Bar fulfilling the tastes of the local residential, office and shopper catchment.

The street’s strong identity is an inspiring example of how an innovative tenant mix – underpinned by a strong sense of community and creative culture – can withstand a momentary interlude from it’s anchor.

What better place to kick off our new SPOTLIGHT series than Pimlico Road?

Pimlico Road is famous for its globally renowned collection of makers and creators, recognised internationally as leaders in their fields. Nestled in the heart of Belgravia, Pimlico Road was originally and predominantly home to a collection of the most notable antique dealers. These retain a presence on the Pimlico Road today – but now joined by an incredibly varied range of creators including soft furnishings specialists Fermoie and ChelseaTextiles, furniture shops such as SoaneBritain and CarlHanson&Son and home accessories from the likes of Bonadea and coxlondon.

Pimlico Road is also the home of the recently opened Newson’s Yard. The site of London’s oldest timber yard, Newson’s Yard retains its 1840s character with the original Victorian brickwork and structure. It hosts five new design and interior shops including NinaCampbell’s showroom and product design studio andobjects from designer Martin Brudnizki – and will be joined by wildflowers restaurant from Aaron Potter (formerly executive chef at Elystan Street and Marias G’s) this summer.

But there’s so much more to experience here than a unique selection of design and antiques. Pimlico Road is a vibrant, buzzy community with a varied calendar of events and partnerships. Earlier this month many of the tenants took part in London Craft Week – giving customers the chance to experience Hand Embroidery instruction at Chelsea Textiles, Weaving at Rose Uniake, and Textile Art at Bonadea.

Belgravia in Bloom was celebrated by many Pimlico Road residents with incredible floral displays that drew influencers, tourists and visitors from the nearby Chelsea Flower Show to the area. The Best Overall Winner went to Bayley & Sage, while Popouelli was awarded Most Innovative and Best Interpretation of the Theme to Enoteca Turi.

Unique heritage, unrivalled craftsmanship and a strong sense of community; just three reasons we consider Pimlico Road to be one of London’s most compelling destinations.

Pimlico Property Opportunity:

We have a wonderful corner restaurant opportunity at 105 Pimlico Road, next to Rose Uniake. We are looking for a talented and progressive hospitality operator to add something unique to the existing mix at this incredible location. Please get in touch with us to discuss.

Harry Cody Owen’s promotion to Director has been published by By Paul Norman of CoStar 3 April 2023:

UK retail, hospitality and leisure consultancy Bruce Gillingham Pollard has appointed Harry Cody-Owen as a director in its national leisure team.

Cody-Owen is a senior national leisure adviser with a focus on redeveloping shopping centres into experience-led destinations. He has been involved in high-profile deals for Hammerson, Landsec, Abrdn, AEW and Legal & General.

BGP’s managing director Tracey Pollard said: “Harry joined the firm in September 2020 as an associate director, and is now a leading leisure agent and a key member of the national team.”

“His experience and tenacious work ethic have always aligned with BGP while his ability to understand consumer experience in client portfolios is a real strength.”

In addition to focusing on prime landlord instructions, he is also closely involved in the tenant representation side of the business, where he acts on behalf of a variety of well-known restaurant, nightclub and leisure operators, the company said.

Cody-Owen said in a statement: “Retail continues to evolve and being involved in super prime kit enables me to lead the transition. I look forward to continuing my success and helping deliver world class retail destinations”.

The Crown Estate has appointed Bruce Gillingham Pollard and Cushman & Wakefield to advise on leisure leasing across its Regent Street and St James’s portfolios in London.

BGP Director, Rupert Bentley-Smith, comments: “The Regent Street and St James’s portfolios present opportunities for a tremendous variety of hospitality and leisure offers from live performance and events, to fine dining and grab-and-go.

“Having already worked with The Crown Estate on a number of situations across this unique part of London, we’re very excited about the prospect of extending our remit and sourcing new concepts which match The Crown Estate’s ambition, and the diverse profile of the location’s visitors, residents and working population.”

Leanne Catterall, Customer Partnership Director for London and Regional at The Crown Estate, said: “Hospitality and culture is a huge focus for us over the near future, as we look to reposition our customer base to offer more diverse, immersive and experience led concepts. We have taken some time to re-organise our internal team, and now have Sarah McLaren leading on hospitality and culture across London, who will be supported by these latest agency appointments, enabling us to start targeting new sectors and widening our offer in the West End.

“These advisors all have a global reach, to ensure we are learning from other destinations outside of the UK, as we curate the best environment that is relevant for our community in the West End.”

Our friends Incipio have launched their newest concept Palm House in Nova.

The Cuban and Miami inspired clubhouse sits across two floors complete with a dedicated daiquiri bar.

With the cold creeping in, who doesn’t want to be temporarily transported to warmer climates?!

Bruce Gillingham Pollard acted for our clients landsec and Etch  acted on behalf of Incipio.