BRAEHEAD shopping centre has announced a string of new openings including a US sports retail giant, a jeweller and a home store.
The centre, owned by property company SGS and asset managed by Global Mutual Properties, said fashion and home furnishings retailer Laura Ashley has opened a new section in Braehead’s NEXT Home store, selling a range of furniture and homeware products. The brand has taken over 2,500 sq ft of space and the offer is the first for any NEXT in Scotland
Worldwide jewellery retailer Lovisa is set to open in the summer in a 780 sq ft unit, selling its range of accessories
The largest licensed sports retailer in North America, Lids, which sells fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, has signed on a c.1,000 sq ft space, as the brand pushes ahead on plans to increase its international presence. The store is set to open in this summer.
Suit Direct, the leading menswear retailer, has also signed on a c.3,500 sq ft store and will open its doors in July
The news follows a string of other positive leasing announcements over recent months, including the addition of a new H&M store, covering 17,000 sq ft, which opened in May, as well as the first Scotland site for womenswear brand Vanilla, which opened a 2,500 sq ft space in April. The online retailer, which ships to 150 countries, launched its first ever bricks and mortar store in 2021. The centre’s food and beverage offering also continues to expand, with milkshake café Shakeaholic opening recently in a 200 sq ft unit.
The Renfrewshire centre is currently home to over 100 fashion and lifestyle brands, from specialist boutiques to high street favourites, including Apple, Next and Pandora. It draws from a local catchment population of 2.25 million.
Steve Gray, head of European retail asset management at Global Mutual, said: “It is set to be a busy few weeks at the centre, with a great selection of brands opening their doors for the first time, providing our visitors with something new to enjoy.
“These signings will significantly bolster our overall offer and keep our retail line-up compelling – driving spend and continued post-pandemic recovery.
“The news attests to continued confidence in bricks and mortar stores. As Scotland’s premier retail and leisure destination, space at Braehead remains in high demand amongst brands. Our prime location – close to Glasgow - and excellent transport links means guaranteed footfall and a high-quality tenant mix.”
Britten Maughan, president of Lids Sports Group, said: “Lids is excited to bring American Sports and fashion to the mall: We offer a large assortment of hats and jerseys and carry top brands like Nike, New Era, Adidas and Mitchell and Ness. With over 1,000 hat options to choose from we immediately become the best place to buy a hat.”
Mark Cotter, chief executive of Baird Group, owners of SD by Suit Direct, said: “We’re delighted to be opening our new store in Braehead. Our vision is to be the go-to destination for contemporary and inspiring menswear brands. With this new store, we as a brand are aiming to help fill the void in affordable and stylish menswear left by the unfortunate closure of other high street and shopping centre stores over the past 18 months and we are extremely excited for the future of the brand.
“At Baird Group we are incredibly proud of our rich history of more than 100 years across manufacturing, wholesale and retail and this new store offers a one-stop-shop for all things men’s fashion - from three-piece suits to casual winter essentials, plus a wide range of accessories. We provide affordable suits for all occasions including weddings, workwear and proms, plus a range of casual polo shirts, jackets and jumpers and accessories.”
Lanarkshire fish processing plant acquired out of administration
FORTY jobs have been saved in Lanarkshire after a buyer was found for the Dawnfresh Seafoods fish processing plant in Uddingston.
Two hundred people lost their jobs in February when Dawnfresh collapsed into administration, amid unsustainable problems over cash flow. Some 249 jobs were saved with the sale of the group’s RR Spink & Sons of Arbroath to Associated Seafoods, with the future of 77 jobs in doubt after being retained by administrators FRP Advisory to assist with the winding up process.
Colin Borland: Inflation could be eased by cutting business overheads
RATHER like the ground coming up to meet you when you’re falling from a tall building, the inevitability of last week’s 40-year-high inflation figures didn’t make them any less painful.
The longer these relentless price rises drag on, the clearer it is that we need to tackle the problem at source – or as close to it as we can get.
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