Chiquito’s and Frankie & Benny’s move into Central Village

DEVELOPER Merepark has signed up The Restaurant Group to open two units at its £200m Central Village scheme in Liverpool City Centre.

The Restaurant Group will open a 4,400 sq ft Chiquito’s mexican restaurant and a 5,000 sq ft Frankie & Benny’s Italian-American outlet at the scheme, which is spread over six acres behind Liverpool’s Central Station.

Cinema operator Odeon recently committed to opening a six-screen cinema at the site, which will house digital and 3D screens. It will also house three new hotels, offices, shops, residential buildings and a multi-storey car park.

Merepark director Ian Jones said: “It’s always been our intention to create a high-quality scheme with widespread appeal.  These lettings show that Central Village is an attractive proposition, capable of bringing new restaurant and leisure operators into the city.”

A spokesperson for The Restaurant Group said: “Central Village is an exciting retail and leisure scheme for Liverpool and we are expecting it to generate the high footfall we like.

“We are opening two new restaurants, Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito, which we know have great popularity with the people of Liverpool.”

Savills and CBRE are joint letting agents for the leisure element of the scheme, which has already started on site and is due to complete in 2013.