Land Securities, owner of the White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds, is investing £7m to triple the size of the food court at White Rose.
The £7 million redevelopment sees the arrival of Frankie & Benny‘s, Prezzo, Wok ‘n‘ Go, and the handmade burger Co who join Nando‘s, McDonalds, Costa Coffee and a brand new concept Bagel Nash in the centre‘s upper level food court.
Liz Baniak, from The Restaurant Group said it had had a strong start since opening in May. “We are very pleased with the performance of the restaurant and fully expect that its success will continue,” she said.
The food court is set to increase to in excess of 21,000 sq ft, from 7,000 sq ft.
Shoppers have spent £10m on food and beverages in the last 12 months and Land Securities is expecting to see further growth following the expansion.
The South Leeds scheme is currently made up of 9% food and beverage operators, which is set to increase to 14% once work is complete on the expansion.
Harlan Pollitt, Portfolio Manager for Land Securities, said: “We‘re committed to investing in the future of the scheme to ensure it continues to attract and grow its loyal following of 12.5 million shoppers each year. Customer feedback indicated the need to improve our food and beverage offer and we believe the customer journey and experience will be enhanced with the expansion. This will also no doubt have a positive increase on dwell time which currently stands at 99 minutes per visit.
“I‘m convinced the £5m expansion will have a knock-on effect on the number of retailers launching new concept stores and store re-fits, if we significantly enhance the asset then it will drive the retailers to follow suit.
“In the past 12 months alone we have secured deals on 60,850 sq ft of catering and retail space including Boux Avenue, Bank, Superdry, Costa Coffee and Paperchase. The food court redevelopment will add momentum to the high calibre of retailers that are launching with in the scheme and it will cement White Rose‘s position as a fashion and leisure destination.”
The work has already commenced on site and will be complete spring 2014.
This current investment is in addition to Land Securities aims to further develop the food and leisure offer. It has recently submitted a planning application to Leeds City Council for a multi-screen cinema, four additional new catering outlets and additional retail space, including extensions to the existing Debenhams and Primark stores and a planning decision is expected by the end of the year.
