Insights Hub

LEISURE

Farmstand, the healthy fast-casual Covent Garden based food concept, has confirmed two new flagship sites in Canary Wharf’s Cabot Square and Waterloo, taking their standalone presence to three. Following the £2.3m funding that was secured from Kindred Capital in August last year. Founder Steven Novick said they also plan to continue the growth of their corporate partnership business to 100 from its current 24, with 10 already in the pipeline for London. 

Having launched a £400,000 Crowdcube fundraising initiative to expand his sourdough pizza restaurant concept Three Joes, the founder of healthy eating concept Pod, Tim Hall, has announced they have two new sites lined up in Eastbourne and the Home Counties.   

Following a £10m loan from Oak North, the Inn Collection Group has announced plans to more than double the size of its portfolio within the next three years. Following the initial loan last year, the group expanded to nine sites across Northumberland, County Durham and Teesside and now plans to reach 21 sites with the second wave of funding.

With the openings in Cannock, Dundee, Leeds, Bury St Edmunds, Bracknell, Peterborough, Cheadle, Bristol and Havant, pizza delivery company Papa John’s has passed the 400 store mark making it the third largest in the UK.  The brand currently has over 5,000 brand operated and franchised stores internationally. 

RETAIL 

Three zero-waste shops in Wales are leading the way for packaging-free shopping. The three stores currently trading are Natural Weigh in Powys, Little Pantry in Tenby and Ripple in Cardiff. Customers bring their own containers from home to the stores and weigh the goods they want to buy, minus the weight of the packaging, making zero-waste shopping cost effective. The shops sell dried bulk foods as well as natural beauty products and cleaning supplies, all of which can be bought using refill stations.

Grocery retail chain, Co-op has announced a £200m investment program to open another 100 new food stores, following the 100+ opened in 2018. They will also refurbish a further 200 in 2019. The focus will include transport hubs, university campuses and residential-led new communities with a third of the new stores planned for London and the South East. 

Menswear and formal hire brand, Greenwoods, has gone into administration. The company, which operates 63 stores across the UK and two concessions employs around 300 people and will continue to trade for now with no redundancies confirmed. Administrators Deloitte are “assessing options’ which includes the sale of the business.

PROPERTY  

US investor, Hines has bought the vacant site opposite Bond Street underground station for over £40m from TfL. The site will house retail on the basement, ground and first floors with 1-3 bedroom apartments on the remaining floors. The scheme is planned to coincide with the expansion of Bond Street station to incorporate Crossrail.

Developer Churchmanor Estates, has confirmed that work will start on Stane Retail Park in Stanway, Colchester in May this year. The £65m, 15-acre development will house a variety of homeware and furniture stores along with a supermarket and a food hall. It is understood B&Q, who will occupy an 80,000 sq ft plot and Aldi, whose site will be 18,500 sq ft are moving from their current sites and will be joined by M&S Food with an 11,800 sq ft store.