Retail Property News and Deals

Preston City Council has announced Pacific rim restaurant chain Wagamam is to open in it's newly launched Animate leisure scheme.

Positioned between Taco bell and Mad Giant Food Hall, Wagamam has taken a 4,125 sq.ft unit on a 15 year lease. They plan to open late summer 2025.

Open 7 days a week ,the new restaurant will create 55 new jobs and is their 167th outlet in the UK.

Animate was opened by Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park in February with Arc Cinema,Hollywood Bowl, Taco Bell,Ask Italian and Loungers all now trading.

There is just 1 unt remaining at 10,000 sq ft to the second floor.

John Brady at Bradys ,the letting agent commented " Securing Wagamama is a strong endorsement of Preston's growing appeal as a vibrant retail and leisure destination.The brand brings with it a loyal following and a reputaion for quality,which will further enhance the visitor experience and also support the wider regeneration of the area by driving footfall"

Animate is a new 3 storey, 160,000 sq.ft. leisure attraction adjacent to the Victorian Market in Preston City Centre. It opened in February 2025 and is anchored by Arc, an 8 screen deluxe cinema, and 16 lane Hollywood Bowl. An elevated south facing restaurant terrace hosts Loungers, Ask Italian, Taco Bell, Las Iguanas and Made Giant Food Hall. Cosmo will trade from a 400 capacity buffet restaurant to the upper level. A 160 space customer car park is located to the ground floor.

 

John is now seeking a tenant for the competitive socialising unit. This 10,140sq. ft. box has floor to ceiling glazing giving views over the city skyline with 7m floor to soffit clearance. Cllr Matthew Brown, leader of Preston City Council, said: “This leisure development will reinforce the Harris Quarter as a premier cultural and leisure destination in Lancashire and will help our City Centre to thrive as well as promoting an inclusive economy with the development in the ownership of the City when complete.”

John Brady is pleased to of completed the letting of the former Barclays Bank at 85 King Street Knutsford to Mowgili, the iconic small plates Indian food restaurant chain.

The bank was offered to let in March 2021 alongside indicative remodelling plans and the bank contained mainly structural walls including vaiults which made it compartmentalised. Many restaurants showed interest however the property owners felt Mowgli was the ideal fit for the unit. An extensive redesign was agreed with Mowgli and the landlords spent over £100,000 opening up the interior prior to Mowgli underatking their shopfit which cost in excess of £700,000 . The restaurant opened in July 2024 to great acclaim and is fully booked for months to come.

Our Clients, the Co-Op, launched their new store at Middlewood Locks in Salford with a retail area of 2,896 sq.ft. and a Back of House of 1,273 sq.ft.  Their new store is based in a prime location situated in the heart of the Middlewood Locks development.  Their new store will serve a large community living in the apartments above and builders developing the area.

Casual Dining Group, represented by Bradys, have assigned their lease of La Vina in Liverpool to Six by Nico for an undisclosed positive premium.

 

The premises provide ground floor sales of 3,616 sq.ft. (336 sq.m.) plus basement of 586 sq.ft. (54.4 sq.m.) and are held on a lease expiring February 2031 at a rent of £80,000 per annum.

 

This will be the 5th restaurant opened by Six by Nico who were represented by Hynes Illingworth.

Bradys were recognised by the Estates Gazette as being amongst the top three most active Retail Agents in the North West Region during 2013. The ranking was produced by monitoring the transactional activity undertaken by each Practice in the Retail Sector during the course of the year.