LEICESTER | Retail in the city centre

[Mark76]

Why did you phrase that as a question?

[Leicity82]

I wasn't sure if it was actually part of the shop.

[Chisit]

Just been googling the new highcross store Luke and it seems really good. Only Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham have one. So quite a privilege!

[d4mo85]

Originally Posted by Chisit

Just been googling the new highcross store Luke and it seems really good. Only Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham have one. So quite a privilege!

Yup should fit in with the rest in Highcross pretty well.

Shame we're not really able to see this kind of designer-chain elsewhere in the City centre though.

[WOTZDA POINT]

Originally Posted by d4mo85

Yup should fit in with the rest in Highcross pretty well.

Shame we're not really able to see this kind of designer-chain elsewhere in the City centre though.

Could you see Harvey Nicholls in Belgrave Gate

[Lears City]

...

[Lears City]

Yeah it would look good opposite Iceland and Argos.

Do Harvey Nics do a pound shop version of their stores?

Harvey Nickels maybe?

I see Harvey Nichols are promoting the W.E. Look from Madonna's new film.

The Belgrave Gate version would be the W.E.E. Look.

[d4mo85]

Yes alright you sarcy bastards

Surely you get my point though!

[craig lindsay]

Originally Posted by Leicity82

Bench on High Street is closing this week. I think this is generally happening to the chain nationally. Shame to have yet another empty unit on the street.

This may be a bit late, but them again makes everything clearer..

Urban label catches consumers’ cold as it considers relocating from most expensive locations

Urban fashion retailer Bench is undertaking a review of its UK portfolio that could result in the disposal of nearly half of its stores, as it battles to reduce its rent bill.

Bench is considering restructuring its property portfolio and disposing of the leases on up to 14 stores in its most expensive locations, among them Buchanan street in Glasgow, Bluewater shopping centre in Kent, Cabot Circus in Bristol, Covent Garden in London as well as stores in Liverpool, Leicester, Chester and Manchester.

The retailer has 32 UK stores and is attempting to control its overheads and reduce its rental costs amid dwindling consumer confidence. Bench is understood to be considering relocating some of the stores, including its unit on Buchanan Street, to cheaper locations where it can take advantage of turnover rents and rent-free periods.

The decision comes as retailers such as Thorntons, HMV, Mothercare and Arcadia begin to exit stores through lease disposals or lease expiries in the face of tough trading conditions.

Bench has appointed Glasgow-based SGM Property Consultants to dispose of the leases, which are already believed to have attracted interest from fashion and food retailers. The retailer typically occupies stores with between 1,500 and 2,000 sq ft of sales space.

Fashion veteran James Pow, the former CEO of Cruise and a former director of USC and chief executive of Aquascutum, is understood to have been drafted in to lead the turnaround.

Bench is understood to pay £385,000 a year on Buchanan Street and around £310,000 a year at Bluewater. It is now thought to be aiming to pay around £100,000 a year in rent on its stores.

Annual results of Americana International, which owns Bench and its sister brand Hooch, for the year to 26 June 2010 showed turnover in the UK had dropped by 14% to £59m, down from £69m the previous year.

Bench was set up in Manchester in the late 1980s to tap into interest in skateboarding and BMXing. Private-equity group HgCapital considered a sale of Americana International in January for around £250m but no deal has been done.

http://www.propertyweek.com/news/ben...022787.article

[Leicity82]

Thanks for that I knew I wasn't imagining that I had read it somewhere.

[Chisit]

The ramada Jarvis has been turned into a mercure hotel! Seems cheap

[monkeyboy1973]

Originally Posted by Chisit

The ramada Jarvis has been turned into a mercure hotel! Seems cheap

I have spent time in Mercure hotels in the Netherlands. Far from cheap, great restaurant and fantastic staff. Equally stayed in Ramada Jarvis in the uk and realised what an overpriced, miserable food and unfriendly ill mannered staff. Of course I am sure there are exceptions, but this is my experience.

[Leicity82]

I doubt it will be cheap considering it was recently upgraded to 4*.

[Lears City]

The group have acquired 25 "new" hotels recently.

http://www.mercure.com/gb/united-kingdom/index.shtml

http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-8324...location.shtml

No photos of the hotel as of yet...

[bestercity]

Hello.

It looks like the new Luke store will be opening later this week - Should be a nice edition to the Highcross.

Also the Oasis store has closed on the ground floor (next door to Mango) which is a shame as it's another empty store.

Still NO news on the Ted Baker store which was rumoured to be opening somewhere in the Highcross (you think it would be soon to tap into the Christmas trade).

Does anyone have any news on any of the vacant stores in the Highcross? The old Henleys store and Triumph store are still empty surprisingly, as they're both situated in the new extension and so you'd think they would have been snapped up by now.

[Regeneration is cool]

red hot world buffet are opening in the unit next to explore learning according to the planning application is that part of high street or is that one of the highcross units on the application it says high street im confused but hay at least we are getting another decent restaurant

[candida]

I thought they were going in the old furniture shop that has been boarded up for years. Maybe they need the highross space too and are knocking through?

[WOTZDA POINT]

For any of you gentlemen brave enough to venture into the poor quarter (Belgrave Road and the Haymarket) a new toy shop has opened in the Haymarket in time for Christmas. Hooray !

I like the Haymarket !

NB Why is the time shown at 4.17am when i posted this ? i posted it at 11.17am ?

[bestercity]

Hello.

The old Oasis store in the Highcross (ground floor) already has a new store taking its place - Front Up.

They're fitting out the store now so I'm imagining it will open soon - It sells rugby shirts and looks quite cool if you look at their website - http://www.frontup.co.uk/

The new Luke store has opened which looks quite unique - A nice design inside. It's great that both the temporary stores which were on the lower floor of the newer part of the Highcross have been fitted out as proper stores now (Sony Centre and Luke).

Still a few empty units - Still NO news on the rumoured Ted Baker store either.

Anyone with any updates?

[Leicity82]

Yes I saw the new Luke store too.

Reveal has moved to the old Bench unit from the Haymarket.

Wallis and Past Times have now closed (it seems) in Highcross.

There's a new shop selling novelty frames and nic-nacs in the old Schuh unit on Gallowtree Gate and there is another temporary looking store in the old Shoetopia unit.

The new toy store in the Haymarket is almost ready and will be opening within a couple of weeks.