Category: News

We have decided to get involved and raise funds for Diabetes UK in joining their one Million Step Challenge. The British-based charity campaigns for improvements in the care and treatment of people living with diabetes and supporting everyone affected by it.

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to rise higher than normal and can lead to devastating complications if left untreated.

The aim of the challenge is to push ourselves, get moving and take at least one Million Steps each between July 1st and September 30th. Every Team member of AS Retail has signed up and will get either walking, running, chasing after kids or dancing to hit that one Million Steps goal.

Please help us reach our target of £2,000 between us by donating, however big or small. Simply visit step.diabetes.org.uk and search for any of our team members via the ‘Find Participant’ tab.

Wish us luck and we’ll keep you updated on our progress.

Smith and Western are the first restaurant occupier to open in the new Addlestone One development in Surrey. The development provides contemporary living, leisure and retail elements which has been carefully designed to integrate into the town centre.

Smith and Western, founded by the Cox family in 1995, has been inspired by several trips to Nashville Tennessee and the lone star State of Texas. After opening their first restaurant in Horsham, offering wholesome American-style food with easy going Southern hospitality, Smith and Western has proven to be a successful concept which led to a roll-out across the South East of England serving great food and cold beers with the good ol’ Wild West atmosphere.

The vibrant mixed-use development is surrounded by an affluent local demographic. Addlestone One is already home to Waitrose, Premier Inn, Boots Opticians, Holland & Barrett, an Achieve Lifestyle gym and a six screen Light Cinema. Nando’s has also committed itself to the scheme and is set to open Autumn 2019 plus we have a number of other occupiers in advanced stages of legals. The residential element offers 213 dwellings and the scheme has over 350 dedicated car parking spaces.

Further retail and leisure opportunities remain available to let, please get in touch with Will Stone or Andrew Shepherd at AS Retail or our joint agents at Avison Young for further information.

We are delighted to have been instructed alongside JLL by Crest Nicholson to commence the pre-letting of Brightwells Yard, a vibrant new mixed-use scheme in the heart of Farnham.

Positioned between East Street and South Street, Brightwells Yard will incorporate a new Town Square with an adjoining open space that links the development to the River Wey.

The scheme is designed to not just complement Farnham’s character but to create a new sought-after destination for retailers, restaurant-operators and families alike.

With M&S Foodhall, Reel Cinema and Seasalt already committed, the development provides a total of 100,000 sq ft of commercial space and will benefit from 239 dwellings as well as 400 car parking spaces. Works have commenced on site with opening scheduled for early 2021.

A copy of the marketing brochure can be found via the Property Listings and please contact Andrew or Claudio for further information and to register your requirements 

We are delighted to have advised Matalan on the acquisition of their new store in the City Centre of Leeds. Matalan is a British fashion and homeware retailer and has over 215 stores nationwide.

The highly prominent premises are located at The Core Shopping Centre with the main entrance on The Headrow. The unit comprises a total floor area of nearly 20,000 sq ft and it was secured on a ten-year lease. Andrew Shepherd, Director at AS Retail, conducted the negotiations and commented: ‘’We are confident that this will prove to be an excellent site for Matalan and we look forward to seeing it open soon.’’

AS Retail are delighted to have completed a fifth lease renewal for our client, Church Commissioners, in Golders Green.

Lease advisory specialist Ellie Oldershaw commented “We are really pleased to have secured the occupation of another strong tenant for a further ten-year term at a higher rent, despite the difficult market.  Having already completed renewals with other tenants including HSBC, Lloyds and Virgin Money, all at rental increases, this block now represents a secure income stream for our client.”

Please don’t hesitate to contact us, should you be in a similar situation and require advice.

We are delighted to announce that our client Jetts 24 Hour Fitness have now opened their first London studio in Colliers Wood.

The Colliers Wood club sits close to The Tandem Centre, a short walk from Colliers Wood underground station and totals approx. 4,200 sq ft with an extended frontage onto busy Christchurch Road.

Jetts are a Global Gym brand with over 250 clubs, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With the latest addition to their portfolio, Jetts have now seven studios in the UK and we have plans for an extensive roll-out over the next few years.

On behalf of Jetts, AS Retail are actively searching new sites in Greater London, South East and South West England for 2019 – 2020 opening of ideally between 4,500-7,000 sq ft. Please get in contact with Andrew Shepherd or any of the AS Retail team to discuss the requirement.

We are delighted to be able to offer the market exciting new food court opportunities at The Cascades Shopping Centre in Portsmouth.

The Cascades is the predominant shopping centre in Portsmouth City Centre, anchored by Primark, M&S and Next. On average the centre receives 192,000 visitors per week, serviced by in excess of 1,000 adjacent car parking spaces.

We are in the advanced stages of designing a four to five unit Food Court with a terrace overlooking the mall in the heart of the centre close to the car park lifts. Other occupiers close by include Pandora, H&M and TK Maxx.

Units can range from 500 – 2000 sq ft with over 275 communal seats in a fresh and lively environment.

Please contact Andrew or Rob at AS Retail for a full pack of plans and visuals.

Easy Coffee and 9Round are the latest two additions to Patrizia’s Walnuts Shopping Centre in Orpington which continues to go from strength to strength following £8 million of investment over the past three years.

9Round have taken Unit 73 totalling 950 sq ft and Easy Coffee have taken prominent corner Unit 69 totalling 1,150 sq ft within the re-modelled open courtyard Leisure Quarter at the Centre which is also home to a seven screen Odeon cinema, Premier Inn, Nandos, Bella Italia, Pure Gym, Creams and independent steak house Cow & Pig.

The Leisure Quarter opened in late 2016 and has been a huge success with Odeon reporting over 350,000 admissions per annum. The immediate vicinity now experiences all day and evening trade which has been boosted this year by the refurbishment and repositioning of the Market Square. Bucking the national trend, footfall, dwell time and consumer spend have all been increasing year on year.

Both of the main entrances onto High Street plus the 520 space multi-storey car park have benefitted from significant investment over the past 12 months with the aesthetics enhanced. The most recent project, costing over £350,000, has been the creation of new public amenities within the covered section of The Walnuts providing much needed facilities for the local shoppers.

The centre has also welcomed a host of other retail occupiers in the last 12 months including Yours Clothing, Trespass, Cards Direct, Julian Charles and Kitchenhaus with Easy Coffee planning to open a mall coffee operation within the covered section of the centre with a dedicated Kid Zone. These occupiers complement and strengthen the existing tenant mix which includes Wilko, Peacocks, The Entertainer, New Look and Argos, all of whom cater for the needs of the local shopper.

Only a few leasing opportunities remain for retail and catering occupiers to obtain representation within this improving environment.

Andrew Shepherd, Director at AS Retail one of the letting agents at The Walnuts commented ‘We’re delighted to welcome both Easy Coffee and 9Round to The Walnuts. They add to the vibrant tenant mix that has been created which coupled with the wider placemaking initiatives has consolidated The Walnuts as the prime retail and leisure location in the town. The Centre has become an important part of the community, being a place of which the local population can be proud of and want to spend time within.’

AS Retail and KLM Retail are the leasing agents on behalf Patrizia.

AS Retail are delighted to have been appointed by Muffin Break to advise on their expansion across the UK, focussing south of Nottingham.

Established 1989 in Queensland, Australia, Muffin Break operate from over 300 stores worldwide offering not only a variety of delicious coffee, muffins and cakes, but also freshly made sandwiches, wraps, quiches and much more.

After successfully opening 61 sites within the UK, we are now seeking 1,400-1,800 sq ft in Shopping Centres, food courts or inline units with high footfall and a possibility for outside seating are sought.

Please contact Rob or Claudio at AS Retail for a copy of the requirement brochure or to discuss any sites that might be suitable.

We are delighted to welcome Will Stone to the team at AS Retail, who joins us after completing his Masters degree in Real Estate at Sheffield Hallam University. Working alongside Andrew Shepherd, he will be working on the acquisition programmes of several occupational clients such as CycleBar, Cards Direct, Quiznos and BoConcept as well as assisting on the leasing of various shop units.