Now the UK starts to transition out of lockdown, the retail, leisure and restaurant market is inevitably in a very different place as operators look at ways in which they can adapt to the ‘new normal’.  Some operators are geared up to implement change and modify their businesses to work around the government measures of social distancing, for others, these measures may be harder to execute leaving them in a more challenging position.

The immediate impact that COVID-19 has had on the market has resulted in a number of occupiers going into administration and the market is anticipating many more announcements in the coming few months. For some of the larger businesses, this gives them the opportunity to close stores and streamline their property portfolio by re-opening fewer sites once lockdown restrictions are lifted. There are of course some operators who are rationalising their portfolio by utilising breaks and expiries to reduce store exposure. Subsequently, this will leave many landlords with rental voids and vacant units.

As agents, we recognise the importance of keeping our ears to the ground and the need to be proactive in our approach to search out the ‘next best’ exciting and emerging operators. Even before COVID-19 I was continually contacting independent operators to understand their appetite for expansion, but now this task is more vital than ever as the number of voids increase and consumer preference has been steered towards independent or boutique stores due to the more personalised retail experience.

In order to seek out the next “Breakthrough Brands”, the young independent brands or the online businesses who will form the pool of talent for the tenants of the future, we have utilised a number of approaches to develop our database which now holds approximately 800 retailers, restaurants and leisure operators. However, it’s fair to say we have found social media and in particular Instagram to be highly successful in securing a route to speaking directly with new perspective tenants who are passionate and proactive about their brands. The owners are often the respondents to their Instagram enquiries, so are generally only too happy to chat. Many highly successful brands started online before taking stores, Allbirds, Made, and Glossier to name a few were all online before they took bricks and mortar sites and with the growth of the powerful generation Z consumer, the need for a 360 omnipresence’s should not be overlooked.

Another successful route to finding new tenants has been our ‘door stepping’ approach, the old- fashioned process of visiting new emerging areas of London and beyond, knocking on the door and asking for the contact details of the owners. This tends to be as equally successful as our social media approach, as often the owners are in store and love to engage with someone who is genuinely interested in how their brand is developing.

As a business, we have invested a considerable amount of time and energy into developing these unique relationships and we are sure this will put us into good stead for helping our clients to secure tenants on both a short and long terms basis, which will help us create a point of difference and a unique reason to visit our shopping destinations.

Jamie has worked for many years on behalf of both Landlords & Tenants advising on Tenant mix strategy and portfolio management.

With over 11 year experience in the property industry, Jamie has represented some of the biggest retail brands in the UK including; Jigsaw, Ted Baker, Teds Grooming Room, Fred Perry, Anya Hindmarch, Whistles and Reiss. He also acted on behalf of Granger & Co. for their first London restaurant and boutique members fitness club Bodyism for their first London club.

With an in-depth understanding of Tenant mix and strategy, Jamie has also worked with a number of Landlords, both independents and institutional – such as The Portobello Group, Cain International and Shaftesbury PLC.

“After 11 years at Orme Property, I’m delighted to be joining the team at Bruce Gillingham Pollard. I’ve loved my time at Orme Property and the opportunity to help grow BGP’s Tenant representation team is hugely exciting to me”.

Tracey Pollard, Managing Director of Bruce Gillingham Pollard says “ We have been keen to build the retail element of our tenant representation business for some time, so we are really excited about Jamie joining the team. His experience of working with both Landlords and tenants throughout London,  provides a valuable insight into the market, which is particular valuable at a time when our clients are seeking both knowledge and experience from their advisors”.

We have been appointed to the leasing team for Edinburgh St James, the £1bn mixed-use development in the city centre. We will be acting jointly on the scheme with existing agents P-Three, Culverwell and CWM.

Located in the east end of the city, the development is one of the UK’s largest and most significant regeneration projects. Redevelopment commenced in October 2016 with demolition of the original St James shopping centre. Phase one, which includes all of the retail and leisure provision is due to open in 2020.

Upon completion, the scheme will comprise a 1.7 million sq ft ‘urban resort’ of which 850,000 sq ft is retail and leisure space. The development will be anchored by John Lewis, a multi-screen cinema, a 4 Star apart hotel for Roomzzz and W Edinburgh. The scheme will represent 21% of Edinburgh’s retail offer once open.

Head of National Leasing, Victoria Broadhead comments:

“We are delighted to be working with Nuveen on the leasing of this landmark scheme, particularly at this important juncture with just one year to go until the opening of Phase One. Nuveen’s visionary approach to creating a truly mixed-use development represents a tremendous addition to the retail and leisure offer for this great city. We are excited to get started on discussions with the high-quality operators that such a world-class scheme is likely to attract.”

For more information, please contact Victoria Broadhead.

High quality, British seafront restaurants are growing in popularity and notoriety and over the last few years we have written about Harry’s Shack in Portstewart and South Milton Sands in Devon. It is easy to see the appeal: these are simple, beach venues serving fresh and seasonal ingredients with views across beautiful beaches. The Hut at Colwell Bay in Freshwater, Isle of Wight is no different.

We were lucky enough to visit The Hut on a beautiful sunny day. Even our arrival was glorious, arriving by boat before being picked up by one of The Hut’s tenders and transported to shore.

The restaurant opened in 2013. The interiors are ‘beach hut chic’: stylish although still casual enough to be flip flop friendly. However, it is the stunning sea view which is the real star, and two levels of terraces mean everyone is guaranteed a view. And inevitably, because it is England after all, there is the electric roof ensuring the restaurant runs all year, whatever the weather!

It is no surprise that the location means the menu is focused on the wonderful local seafood and there must be something in the sea air as well as the water, because the atmosphere is fun and buzzing.

This is a restaurant all about experience, prefect setting, fantastic views and exceptional service throughout our sitting, despite the fact we were a loud and rowdy group of 10! They even offered a collection of sun hats to those sitting in the full sun. It may have only been a long lunch, but it was long enough to feel like we had escaped our normal world for a mini holiday.

The next stop on our Australian adventure took us to Melbourne and we were lucky enough to be recommended Chin Chin, a true Asian inspired restaurant located on the iconic Flinders Lane in the heart of the city.  Since it opened in mid 2011 it has been named the most successful restaurant Melbourne has ever seen, and the buzz since the opening has only intensified to make it a local staple as well as a tourist hot spot.

The executive chef Ben Cooper has been part of the Lucas Group for the last seven years, and has worked in London’s Nobu, Nahm, Bluebird and Pharmacy before moving to Melbourne.

The menu range is testament to Ben’s knowledge of Asian flavours and the exquisite menu showcases this, from the pad seuw of braised wagyu beef to sticky tamarind chilli duck salad there is something for everyone.

But the food is not the only reason you visit. The atmosphere as a whole is immersive. One of Australia’s most respected DJs has created playlists and the walls are covered with art from both established and emerging artists.

It is a walk in only policy unless you are lucky enough to have 10 friends. We had a two hour wait which we were told is standard even for a seemingly ‘quiet’ Tuesday night!  I would suggest you put your name down and pass the time with a trip to GOGO’s bar that sits directly underneath. Refined yet edgy, the cocktail menu highlights South East Asian ingredients.

My advice? Get there early and be prepared to wait…and wait, as it really is a Melbourne must try!

On a recent visit to Dublin, I came across this little gem of restaurant and was totally blown away.  Set up by the Kirwin brothers, who are behind the Sprout juice business, they now have 6 restaurants across Dublin and Meath and a farm in Rathcoffey, Co. Kildare (about 30 km away).

Offering substantial sustainability, they offer organic salad bowls which are made up from leaves grown on their farm.  Because of this they can only offer seasonal leaves, which are local and this is then paired up with protein and grains etc in store.

Wherever possible, all meat is also local and organic, as well as other ingredients like beetroot and eggs, although, as the chap behind the counter told me, they are yet to find an organic avocado grower in Ireland!

But other than this, they are doing a great job.  In keeping with the current “wholesome over clean eating” trend, plus the demands of generation X for authenticity, this is a business that is sure to fly. By the time I left, a lunchtime queue was forming and it was already out of the door.

This is not surprising when you see the delicious menu, comprising of delights such as Paprika or Satay chicken, Tamari spiced Hoisin Mushrooms, baked falafel and Japanese salmon. All gloriously organic and as local as possible.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we see either more organic farmers branching out into restaurant operations, or restaurant operators acquiring farms.  Either way, if Sprout & Co are anything to go by, I think we will be seeing more of this style of operator.

Dry January is never fun, but this year the gloom was brightened with a visit to Teatulia, Covent Garden’s striking new tea-shop, recently opened on Neal Street.

Offering a good selection of 100% organic, single-origin tea, Teatulia takes its name from Tetulia, the region of north Bangladesh where the tea is grown.  They have their own garden where the tea is grown and harvested by hand, using only natural pesticides such as Neem leaf.

The tea-shop itself is calm, bright, characterful and a lovely place to relax and unwind and forget you are in hectic Covent Garden.  We were really impressed by the attention to detail that had gone into the design (best described as a modern, colonial look) and the knowledgeable, friendly staff.  Of the 8 teas available, we tried Jasmine Green and Lemon Grass but there was also a good selection of cocktails, mocktails (all tea-based) and a library stocked with literary offerings from some of the world’s leading creative thinkers – perfect for that half an hour get away from the busy city streets!

And, if you enjoy your tea so much you want to have it at home, Teatulia also sell their fresh-leaf teas in beautiful quirky tins either in store or online, so if you can’t make it into town, you can create your own mini oasis of calm at home.