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We are thrilled that the new six-screen boutique Reel cinema has now opened at Brightwells Yard in Farnham.

Brightwells sits in the town centre of lovely Farnham, Surrey. It’s an open air, street-scaped 35 unit mixed use development set around gardens and a new town square alongside 250 apartments and a new car park. Reel are the first commercial occupier to open at this fantastic new development with Coppa Club also committed to the scheme. We will be announcing further new additions to Brightwells shortly and are looking forward to getting occupiers open and trading for the warmer weather.

We at AS Retail are the commercial leasing agents for the development and please contact either Andrew or Kathryn to discuss current availability for retail, catering and leisure uses as we have spaces ranging from 700 – 8,000 sq ft that would suit national, regional and independent occupiers.

Cards Direct keep on going, opening this time in the Derbion Shopping Centre, Derby and just in time for Christmas!

On behalf of our clients we successfully negotiated terms on the 2,200 sq ft former Game unit on the Lower North Mall, close to Sostrene Grene, Mountain Warehouse and the new Frasers Department Store amongst others.

Their strapline is ‘Making People Smile’ and they certainly do with the fabulous greeting cards, gifts, balloons and partywear offering super value for money from their 50+ store network and via their transactional website www.cardsdirect.co.uk.

Andrew Shepherd, Director at AS Retail commented “Yet another opening for Cards Direct! Following quickly on the back of recent store openings in Bristol, Bognor Regis and Fareham this is a super unit in a very good shopping centre. Good luck to the team and a big thanks to Alan Pearson at FHP who acted for the landlord.

We have more stores in the pipeline and new ones are required for next year so, if you have anything suitable, please do sent it through to Andrew Shepherd.

Really exciting news as Sixes, the cricket themed competitive socialising brand, have signed to take c. 7,000 sq ft at the stunning Tunsgate Quarter in Guildford with fit-out commencing shortly.  Sixes will be situated on the upper level close to The Ivy and will complement the existing quality line-up which includes Oka, Loaf, The White Company, The Ivy Asia, Gails Bakery, Cosy Club and Pho to name but a few.

The concept brings people together, designed for all ages to go and play a challenging game of Social Cricket along with great hospitality; a fabulous social activity for Guildford and a fantastic addition to the town centre offering which is going from strength to strength.

Bruce Gillingham Pollard, our joint agents on the scheme, negotiated the deal on behalf of the landlord. Well done!

There are only now a couple of small units available in the scheme so please contact Andrew Shepherd or Kathryn Evans.

Acting on behalf of CRUK, AS Retail have successfully negotiated the acquisition of their new, larger, store in Nuneaton which has recently opened.

CRUK now trade from circa 2,500 sq ft at 132 Abbey Street. Sitting close to the entrance of The Abbeygate Shopping Centre other occupiers in close proximity include Rymans, Card Factory and Loungers.

Andrew Shepherd, Director at AS Retail commented “We are delighted to have secured this property in behalf of our clients. Not only is it considerably larger than their old property on Church Street, it is a significant improvement in pitch. Good luck to the store team.”

We are retained to search for new CRUK Superstores in Scotland and Northern Ireland and are able to consider in-town superstore opportunities across the UK of c 3,000 sq ft upwards – please contact Andrew Shepherd or Georgina Massey if you have anything that might suit or to discuss the requirement in more detail.

Loveitts acted on behalf of the landlord.

We’re delighted to see Gail’s open at 897 Finchley Road, the Grade II Listed former HSBC Bank that AS Retail brought to the market for the first time in its history. The fit out is fantastic with the addition of a mezzanine floor to make the most of the 6m floor to ceiling height and the incorporation of the listed banking counter into their layout.

Really exciting news as two of our clients, Cards Direct and Cancer Research UK, have agreed a partnership to help fund with life savings cancer research. Cards Direct will be selling a special range of greetings cards from their store network as well as receiving financial donations on behalf of the charity.

Acting on behalf of the landlord, AS Retail are delighted to announce that Arlo & Jacob have opened their fantastic new showroom at the Tunsgate Quarter, Guildford.

Arlo & Jacob have signed a new lease on the 1800 sq ft former Cath Kidston store which sits in the heart of Tunsgate Quarter, opposite The White Company and adjacent to Townhouse Nails and OKA. Other occupiers in this fantastic development include Loaf, Nespresso, Bobbi Brown, Tag, Soho Fine Art and Seasalt alongside a quality catering offer including The Ivy and Ivy Asia, Gails Bakery and Cosy Club.

We only have two small retail units now left at the development so please contact either Andrew Shepherd to Kathryn Evans to discuss these opportunities further.

We are delighted to announce that GAIL’s Bakery have taken possession of their latest outlet in Golders Green, London.

Acting on behalf of the landlord, AS Retail have secured a new 10 year lease with GAIL’s on the former HSBC bank at 897 Finchley Road, the first time this property has been re-let in its history.

This stunning Grade II listed building has an elegant curved façade and sits in a highly prominent location on the corner of Finchley Road and Golders Green Road, opposite Golders Green underground and bus stations. It comprises approximately 1,602 sq ft at ground floor with a 6.5m floor to ceiling height which GAIL’s will utilise to install a mezzanine; it was designed in 1913 for the London, City and Midland Bank who have occupied ever since.

GAIL’s opened their first store in London’s Hampstead High Street in 2005 and now the bakeries are dotted in neighbourhoods in and around London, the home counties and now nationwide serving the communities hand-made breads, pastries, savouries, cakes and great beverages – they are a popular addition to any High Street or Shopping Centre.

Andrew Shepherd, Director at AS Retail commented ‘We received a lot of interest in this fabulous building but GAIL’s are the perfect occupier to make use of this unique space. They were not phased by the listed nature of the building and we look forward to seeing how they transform the building over the coming weeks.”

Positioning itself as the world’s first hybrid football arena, KickX has opened its doors in the centre of Addlestone, bringing a brand-new sporting experience to Surrey.

KickX has spent the past three months fitting out an extensive 14,000 sq ft multi-floor venue at AddlestoneOne, Runnymede Borough Council’s regeneration project that has brought new homes and businesses to the south of the Borough.

KickX will inspire football enthusiasts of all ages to test their skills and experience the thrill of fast, fun, and easy-to-learn games.

KickX offers five different activities across 11 indoor courts, including Padbol, Jorkyball, Teqball, Panna, and KickX VR. This unique concept is expected to draw in football enthusiasts from across the South East bringing new attention, investment, and attractions to Addlestone.

Andrew Shepherd, Director at AS Retail who are the leasing agents at AddlestoneOne and who conducted the negotiations on behalf of the landlord commented “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome KickX to the development. They have chosen Addlestone owing to its strategic location allowing them to reach football enthusiasts, families, community football clubs and schools across the region. Sitting alongside The Light Cinema, Nandos and Smith & Western they help consolidate Addlestone One as the leisure destination to visit in the region. We only have three ground floor spaces and two upper level spaces remaining so please contact myself or the AS Retail team to discuss your requirements.”

In addition to KickX, a new branch of the popular gaming café Geek Retreat will be opening around the same time, offering a location for tabletop gaming, as well as society meetups and events.

AddlestoneOne opened in 2018 to give people more choice and boost the local economy, has been becoming increasingly popular as a destination for businesses. AddlestoneOne encompasses not only the thriving leisure destination but also 214 residential apartments, the majority of which have been successfully sold or rented, a five screen cinema, Premier Inn Hotel and small format Waitrose food store.

AS Retail are excited to announce that our clients Jetts Fitness have opened their latest fantastic club in Colchester, their first club in Essex.

This opening comes hot on the heels of the recent openings in Wandsworth and Hammersmith in London, and Newquay in Cornwell.

We have acquired the 4,500 sq ft former Chiquito restaurant at Tollgate Retail Park, 3 miles to the West of the city centre. Jetts have added a new mezzanine into the double height, semi-circular glazed elevation offering stunning views as you work out plus they will be utilising the outside space for various activities.

As one of the global leaders in health and fitness, Jetts has 15 fantastic clubs across the UK with 2 more in the pipeline and more needed.

Andrew Shepherd, Director as AS Retail who conducted the negotiations on behalf of Jetts commented “We are thrilled to have secured this prominent site for our clients Jetts. The fit out looks stunning and they will bring a fresh approach to the health and fitness provision in Colchester.”

We are actively looking for further sites of between 5,000 – 10,000 sq ft for Jetts across the UK  so please contact us with any opportunities that you feel might suit.

Morgan Williams acted on behalf of the landlord.