Restaurant operators vie for city centre space as dining scene picks up pace
FORMER retail units around Trinity Leeds are attracting “significant interest” from major restaurant operators as they compete for space in the city, a retail expert says.
James Fox, associate director of retail at CBRE, says the ‘ripple effect’ of Trinity has created strong restaurant demand in and around the traditional retail pitches of Leeds, which in turn is increasing competition for certain retail units that can potentially be turned into restaurants.
“This is evidenced recently in the commitment by major chain Byron Hamburgers on Lands Lane and the fact that the American operator, Five Guys, has recently agreed terms also on a unit in Leeds. There are currently a number of requirements out for well-known restaurants seeking similar space and locations which demonstrates that the pace is picking up,” he says.
The increasing buoyancy within the restaurant sector is also being witnessed outside of the city centre in the shopping centres such as Bradford’s Westfield development which will include a large food offering, and the White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds which is being extended to include more restaurants and the existing food court has been invested in.
Fox claims that there is positive news across rest of the retail market in Leeds with several high street retail chains now introducing double stores in the city.
He says: “Leeds has a relatively compact retail core compared to larger cities, such as Manchester, therefore it hasn’t been the norm for high street chains to open more than one store within the city.
“However, this is all changing with names such as H&M, Next, M&S and New Look all either opening secondary stores or committing to them in forthcoming developments. The Victoria Gate development is playing a significant role in effectively stretching the Leeds retail pitch, making it probable that this trend of double stores will continue.”
