BGP Connects EP5

Evie North

BGP connects Episode 5

“Houses close to streets full of independent retailers sell for 20% more” evening standard

On our next instalment of #BGPconnects Evie North speaks to Chris Daly of Greenland U.K.

They discuss the rising trend of London Neighbourhoods, the impact covid-19 had on this trend and more specifically on the evolution of The Ram Quarter.

 

6 Days to go

Thea Rowe

The next generation of family clubs Jaego’s House will open in Kensal Rise in May 2022, quite literally something for all the family under one roof. Members will have access to a whole range of services: a jungle gym and soft play; crèche and childminding; Co working office; studio and fitness…

7 Days to go

Tracey Pollard

The growth of the neighbourhoods and localism have been key themes for the last 12 months.  We have experienced an increase in demand for both London neighbourhood locations and nationally, where we’ve seen lots of activity with lettings in Guildford, Windsor, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Birmingham, Reading and Leeds. The increase in…

8 Days to go

Dominic Tixerant

Hawskmoor made a splash with their new opening in Wood Wharf this month! The new, eco friendly floating restaurant has brought a whole new dynamic to the Canary Wharf estate. The restaurant is Hawksmoor’s most ambitious restaurant yet, split across three floors with a 150 cover restaurant and 120 bar ‘The Low…

9 Days to to

Lucy Cope

Following the success of their pop up on Duke of York Square, the Lincolnshire born sustainable jewellery brand Daniella Draper have now opened their first standalone store in London on the King’s Road.

“The whole team are so excited to have opened in London and particularly on the King’s Road. To be able to have a physical presence in the South of England is really important to us.”

Many have questioned whether there will be a shift in focus for independent brands post Covid and whether the importance of having a presence in the capital will diminish. The last 12 months has shown that this certainly isn’t the case and the Daniella Draper opening further demonstrates the importance of independent brands having a bricks and mortar presence in London.

Jamie Orme acted on behalf of Daniella Draper, please get in touch with our tenant rep team – Jamie Orme & Thea Rowe if you would like help finding your first site.

As a company we cover a number of affluent neighbourhood instructions, please get in touch with the leasing team if you would like further information.

Countdown to Christmas

Tracey Pollard

What a year 2021 has been! Despite the lows of restrictions and lockdowns, there have been some highs and here at Bruce Gillingham Pollard we have been exceptionally busy. SO, we thought it only right to celebrate some of those highs. Over the next 12 days we’ll be sharing with…

18th Century pub brought back to life by JKS

Rupert Bentley-Smith

We are Delighted to see JKS Restaurants reopen The George Fitzrovia last Thursday. This exciting venture is in partnership with renowned publican Dominic Jacobs and celebrated chef James Knappett. Along with JKS they form a remarkable team who have restored this beautiful 3 storey, 18th century, grade II-listed building, and…

BGP Connects EP4

Harry Cody-Owen

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten” Tony Robbins This episode of #BGPConnects @hcodyowen speaks to Mark Bourgeois on his time as MD of UK and Ireland for @hammerson_plc. They discussed the future of retail as well as Mark’s journey into the industry. Now…

Isola by San Carlo

Tracey Pollard

Back in the height of lockdown in 2020, BGP relet one of the most prominent restaurants in Central London, the old Carluccio’s in St Christopher’s Place. Whilst a full-scale lockdown of the hospitality industry might not have been the best time to let a West End restaurant, the flight to prime had commenced and interest was high.

Now 18 months later, the hard work has paid off and Isola, a bespoke concept from San Carlo is open and looks magnificent at the heart of the Piazza. Working with Marcello Distefano and his team has been a wonderful experience, resulting in a true partnership of ideas in terms of design and concept.

This 220 cover restaurant features a massive 50 cover alfresco terrace in the heart of St Christopher’s Place, catering for its diverse catchment of office tenants, West End shoppers and tourists.  A soft palette of yellows, greens, and pinks, shine through in the design, which combined with the extensive shellfish and sea food display, transports you immediately back to a relaxed summer holiday vibe.

Emily Dumbell and Tracey Pollard, worked with Victoria Shields of BMO to secure this letting, whilst San Carlo Restaurant Group were advised by Sammy Weinbaum of CDG leisure.

Bruce Gillingham Pollard are sole agents for the restaurant and retail lettings at St Christopher’s Place.

G I R L P O W E R

Tracey Pollard

We’re excited to kick start our week by announcing that, following 3 excellent presentations and 12 months of incredible hard work, Lucy Cope, Thea Rowe and Sophie Moorcroft have all been promoted to Associate Director. 🥂 We are extremely proud of their achievements, personal growth, and the contribution they have each…

Wapping Hydraulic Power Station – Realm

Tracey Pollard

Isn’t this the most amazing building? It’s the Hydraulic Power Station in Wapping and we are looking for its next tenant. The building has planning permission granted for the introduction of new floors within the listed building, together with the creation of a glazed extension within the roof level water…

New starters

This month we welcome two new members to the team, Alex Todd & Euan Anderson. Both join as graduate surveyors following completion of their property degrees and will then go on to sit their professional assessment to become Chartered surveyors. Our MD, Tracey Pollard commented “As we celebrate our 10th…

BGP Connects EP2

Thea Rowe

“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candle, more unashamed conversation” Glenn Close.

This week, Thea Rowe speaks to Maryam Meddin, founder of The Soke. The Soke is a private wellness clinic, striving to make mental wellbeing more accessible and more comfortable for all. Thea and Maryam discussed Maryam’s journey towards creating The Soke, mental health and mindfulness.

Thea Rowe is The Soke’s sole retained agent.

Berber and Q to launch Carmel on Lonsdale Road, Queen’s Park

Thea Rowe

(Photo credit Carmel) Josh Katz and Berber and Q are coming to Queen’s Park with Carmel where they will offer an all day menu inspired by North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. Lonsdale Road comprises a mix of independent offices workshops and restaurants including Milk Beach who recently expanded. Securing…

Albert’s Schloss – Paradise, Birmingham

Victoria Broadhead

Mission Mars, the north west bar and restaurant operator led by Roy Ellis, is set to open a second Albert’s Schloss site, Paradise, Birmingham. The Bavarian beer hall concept joins the impressive line up of Vinoteca, Dishoom and Rosa’s Thai – which have all committed to opening at the £700m…

With a number of the BGP team having been loyal Daniella Draper customer’s since the beginning of their journey, we are super excited to be retained by them to secure their first permanent store in London

Lucy Cope

Daniella Draper is a British, multi award winning jewellery brand who recently celebrated their 10 year anniversary. Daniella graduated with a degree in jewellery design from central St Martin’s in 2009 and returned to her home roots of Lincolnshire to start her business. Daniella, Della & Holly are a tight…

Hong Kong K11 Musea – The Outernet

Anna Bourgeois

At the beginning of 2020, I was lucky enough to visit Hong Kong’s K11 MUSEA  ‘Art Mall’ concept. Opened in 2019, the ‘art mall/museum’ overlooks Victoria Harbour, and the beautiful red sail junk boats which are so iconic to Hong Kong. It sits amongst the busy Tsim Sha Tsui district, overshadowed by skyscrapers. On first impression it didn’t stand out, sitting well beneath the spectacular skyline, but as soon as I entered, I was totally blown away.

The centre features a mix of 250 retailers, 70 restaurants, 40 artist installations, and a broad array of educational programs. Some of my favourites were: an interactive Golden Goose store, which distresses sneakers whilst you wait, the Loewe store with the most incredible shop fit out, and an Agnes b. store, serving tiny little cardigan shaped cream cakes. The best part was the atrium, which looked almost as if it had been sculptured out of wood, spiralling up towards a huge glass globe, which was suspended over the entire mall.

I’m not sure ‘mall’ is the right word to describe K11 ‘MUSEA’. It’s a far cry from our traditional British shopping destinations such as Westfield or the Trafford Centre. I didn’t think anything in Britain could compare until I watched a video this week on ‘The Outernet’, Consolidated Land’s new project on Denmark Street. Their ideas and concepts reminded me so much of K11, the way they incorporate history, art and culture within a cutting-edge retail and leisure environment. Placemaking and creating a destination is so important with modern developments, and I can already tell that ‘The Outernet’ will be a really exciting cultural hub.

First operator opens at Postmark

Nick Halley

BGP have acted on behalf of Taylor Wimpey to secure Mousetail Coffee who have taken an internal unit within the residential marketing suite at Postmark. The letting will help to drive footfall into the marketing suite giving prospective buyers a better and more unique experience, whilst also acting as an…

RIXO’s first bridalwear store at 75 Elizabeth Street

Lucy Cope

Super excited to have worked with Henrietta Rix and acted on behalf of my client Grosvenor Group in securing RIXO’s first bridalwear store at 75 Elizabeth Street which opened earlier this week! This will be the only RIXO bridalwear boutique, stocking their limited edition capsule collection of 26 pieces. The bridal collection is split into two themes,…

10th birthday

Tracey Pollard

As part of our 10th birthday celebrations we asked some of our team what Bruce Gillingham Pollard meant to them, these are some words used to express our business. Some liked the energy, ambition, passion and drive to collaborate and innovate. Others mentioned the incredible talent found within the business,…

An iconic Shoreditch venue reborn launching Spring 2021

Rupert Bentley-Smith

April 2021: Nearly a decade since it was last enjoyed, a historic site in the heart of Shoreditch reopens under new independent ownership. Within the former Victorian ‘Great Eastern Light’ power station, long- standing Hackney residents Morten Jensen, Darren Collins and chef Johnnie Collins present The Light Bar. With  lovingly  restored  interiors  set  across  three  floors,  the  new  restaurant,  bar  and  outdoor  terrace promises to become a social and culinary destination for good times.

Located on Shoreditch High Street, the site has been an icon of London’s East End since it was built in 1893  to  generate  electricity  for  the  UK’s  first  powered  train  station,  Liverpool  Street’s  Great  Eastern Railways. Due to its pioneering role in the development of electric power, the building is said to have inspired Shoreditch’s original motto, adopted in 1900: ‘More Light, More Power’. Converted into a bar in 2000  by  previous  owners  Oliver  Williamson,  James  Goff  and  Ben  Chesterfield,  ‘The  Light’  helped Shoreditch become famous for nightlife and dining. Despite its success, the venue was forced to close in 2014 when redevelopment plans threatened to tear it down. After a successful campaign to #savethelight, led by Oliver and thousands of locals and several celebrities including artist Tracey Emin, the building is now protected as part of Hackney’s Shoreditch Conservation Area.

Morten Jensen says, “This   place   is   an   institution,  and deserved to be preserved and enjoyed by all. From the building’s original working class history to its more recent guise as one of the first original bars in the early 2000’s that helped make Shoreditch the place it is now. I’ve always loved this building, and have fought passionately to open the concept, even more  so through a global pandemic. I’m so proud to be launching our new concept here.”

Rupert Bentley Smith acted on behalf of the Landlord’s Brookfield.

Mentoring Circle – Close the gender gap in property

Tracey Pollard

Bruce Gillingham Pollard have always been at the forefront of nurturing their young team and when MD Tracey Pollard was asked to participate in the Mentoring Circle, she said yes immediately. We talk to founder Vanessa Murray prior to the official launch on International Women’s day, about why she felt…

Can cinemas breathe life into the leisure investment market?

Andrew McGregor

Don’t just listen to me, but it seems the streaming vs movie “battle” has found its equilibrium. Paramount Pictures CEO Jim Gianopulos and Disney CEO Bob Chapek have both recently stated that you can’t have one without the other. Big screen drives big franchises, which in turn drives streaming features…

Indian street food operator Mowgli to open in Brewery Quarter, Cheltenham

Victoria Broadhead

Given the past 12 months it has been fantastic to see operators like Mowgli continue to expand nationally, including in Brewery Quarter, Cheltenham. The Indian street food operator will be transforming the ex-Babel site and is due to open late Summer. Mowgli is a unique offer for Cheltenham and will…

BGP acquired 2 retail warehouse parks in December 2020 for Brydell Partners for a combined price of £16,900,000.

Andrew McGregor

St Peters, Burton on Trent – purchased for £5.50 million reflecting a net initial yield of 8.65%, let to Dunelm, Pets at Home and Halfords (WAULT 5 years);

Four Pools, Evesham – purchased for £11.40 million reflecting a net initial yield of 8.40%, let to The Range, Halfords, Pets at Home and Pure Gym. Also 2 lettings to complete to Subway and Greggs.

The acquisition reflects an increasingly active out of town market for smaller schemes (sub £15m), let to “COVID-successful” tenants, with strong occupier credit and relatively low/re-based rents.

For further information, please contact Andrew McGregor

Diversity of Instructions

Emily Dumbell

One of the key strengths of Bruce Gillingham Pollard, is our range of clients and the diversity of the projects we work on. These instructions stretch from standalone shops and restaurant units, to large development projects nationwide. We work on established shopping centres, as well as successful Estates and our…

What a year!

Tracey Pollard

We just wanted to thank our amazing team, clients, the retailers and restaurateurs we work with every day for their continued support and trust. The BGP team has demonstrated determination and resilience, and our strong sense of team work has been more apparent than ever.  Whilst we have all experienced…