News: New Parkgate openings confirmed

Over 16,000 sq ft of retail park space has been leased at Parkgate Shopping in Rotherham.

Rothbiz revealed in August that an international coffee chain and two national footwear retailers were taking steps to open at Parkgate. This follows a planned expansion by a current retailer.

Occupying a unit of just over 4,000 sq ft on a five-year lease, Pavers is one of the UK’s leading comfort shoe retailers, with over 150 stores in the UK, offering a range of quality Pavers branded footwear in addition to other brands such as Fly Flot, Skechers and Padders.

Meanwhile, Starbucks has secured a new c. 2,000 sq ft unit adding to Parkgate’s extensive Food & Beverage line up, which includes key brands such as German Doner Kebab, Nandos, Frankie & Benny’s and Popeyes.

Superdrug will be upsizing at the retail park, doubling the size of its previous store with a c. 10,000 sq ft unit.

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Footasylum, a leading footwear and sportswear omnichannel business, has also announced that it is accelerating its growth plans across the UK and beyond after securing a £35m Revolving Credit Facility from HSBC UK. The funding will be used to roll out a store expansion programme, which includes a new store in Rotherham opening later this year.

The brands’ decisions to open and expand at Parkgate underscore the appeal of the park’s evolving line up. Columbia Threadneedle Investments’ ongoing asset management strategy has seen a series of new occupational deals at Parkgate in recent months including Wilko and a new multi-fascia unit for the Frasers Group comprising USC, Sports Direct and Everlast.

Tom Hatfield, Asset Manager at Columbia Threadneedle Real Estate, said: “In the two quarters since our acquisition of Parkgate, we have continued to diversify our retail offering for shoppers. Building on Columbia Threadneedle’s extensive experience within the retail park sector, Parkgate has welcomed eight new tenants and secured a key lease renewal – equating to over 94,000 sq ft of committed space - in just seven months. The arrival of these two new brands, alongside Superdrug’s expansion, is further evidence of the appeal of Parkgate. And with further tenant discussions already underway, we hope to make additional announcements soon.”

The leasing agents for Parkgate are Curson Sowerby Partners and Morgan Williams.

Parkgate Shopping website

Images: Curson Sowerby Partners

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News: More new openings at Parkgate planned

An international coffee chain and two national footwear retailers are taking steps to open at Parkgate Shopping in Rotherham.

Rothbiz reported in June that several new lettings, upsizes and relocations were close to being finalised at the 2nd largest purpose-built retail warehouse park in the UK.

American coffee company and coffeehouse chain, Starbucks, is planning to open a new site, despite already operating less than a mile away.

Starbucks constructed a new Drive Thru store at nearby Foundry Retail Park at Parkgate and opened in 2020.

Now the Seattle-based chain wants to take on an empty unit at Parkgate Shopping that was previously home to rival chain, Costa.

Costa expanded at Parkgate Shopping when it built a 1,800 sq ft standalone drive-thru unit between Wilko's and Morrison's in the existing car park in 2017.

A planning application has been submitted for new signage for unit 32 that would see Starbucks slot in between Vision Express and Greggs.

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More shoe retailers have recently announced that they are coming to Parkgate.

With Deichmann opening in Rotherham in 2023 and Shoe Zone starting recruitiment but not actually opening, Pavers and Footasylum look to have got their feet in the door.

Founded in York in 1971, the family-owned business opened the first Pavers shop in Scarborough in 1981 and since then has grown to over 180 stores nationwide. One of the UK’s leading comfort shoe retailers, it offers a wide range of brands including Fly Flot, Skechers and Padders and the business now includes acquired brands, Jones Bootmaker, Herring Shoes and Van Dal.

Store manager and customer advisor roles are currently being advertised in Rotherham.

A unit for the retailer has not been announced but the job advert from Pavers confirms: "We are thrilled to announce the opening of our BRAND NEW STORE at Rotherham Parkgate Shopping Park in September 2024!"

Footasylum, the streetwear and sportswear retailer, has also begun recruiting for a store manager for a Rotherham store.

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Rochdale, Footasylum had been owned by JD Sports since 2019 until it fell foul of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). It was bought by Aurelius in 2022 and, backed by the German investment firm, has expanded through new store openings and upsizing existing locations.

Footasylum stock includes Nike, Adidas Originals, Under Armour, The North Face, and more.

Again, a unit for the retailer has not been announced but the job advert from Footasylum confirms that it is for "one of our exciting NEW stores opening at Parkgate Shopping Park in Rotherham."

Also at the park, current tenant Superdrug has seen its planning application for new signage at Unit 7 approved. This will allow for an expansion for the beauty and health retailer to expand into the unit vacated by Poundland.

Parkgate Shopping spans over 40 acres and has 577,837 sq ft of ground floor retail accommodation. The destination was sold for around £60m at the start of 2024.

Starbucks website
Pavers website
Parkgate Shopping website

Images: Pavers / One Fine Day Design

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News: National retailer spots opportunity to expand at Parkgate

Signs are that a vacant unit at Parkgate Shopping in Rotherham will have a new tenant soon as interest remains high at the UK’s 2nd largest retail warehouse park.

Rothbiz reported in 2023 that Poundland was taking on the former Marks & Spencer unit at Parkgate to create one of the brand's largest stores.

Opening in March 2023, the 18,500 sq ft "supersize" store is over three times the size (6,000sq ft) of a normal Poundland and much larger than its previous Parkgate unit.

The move left a 9,900 sq ft Unit 7 vacant, but it appears to have enabled another brand to expand.

Plans have recently been submitted to Rotherham Council for a new shop front and signage showing that national retailer, Superdrug, is set to take on Unit 7, which is now listed as "Under Offer" with agents.

The leading beauty and health retailer currently occupies Unit 10c at Parkgate.

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Superdrug recently announced that it was opening 25 new locations, extending seven existing locations and refitting 60 stores over the course of 2024 - its 60th year on the high street.

Nigel Duxbury, property director at Superdrug, said: “We’ve changed a lot in the 60 years since the first Superdrug store opened in Putney high street, but we remain as committed as ever to providing a seamless shopping experience for our customers, offering the very best in accessible health and beauty.

"This investment into bricks-and-mortar means we can grow our footprint in key locations and highlights our ongoing commitment to high streets and retail shopping destinations, which are an integral part of local communities and the economy.

"2024 will see some of the largest ever Superdrug stores open their doors, which is something we are really excited about, as these larger retail units give us the space to be able to offer new and exciting services and even more of the latest health and beauty products."

Parkgate Shopping spans over 40 acres and makes up the 2nd largest purpose-built retail warehouse park in the UK. With 577,837 sq ft of ground floor retail accommodation, the destination was sold for around £60m at the start of 2024.

ESH, one of the agents who are acting for new owners, Columbia Threadneedle, confirmed that: "Several new lettings, upsizes and relocations are either agreed or in legals and will be announced shortly as 2024 looks set to be a landmark year for this busy regional shopping destination."



Images: Cube

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