Frenchgate Shopping Centre in Doncaster has now commenced the second stage of its performance plan with a flurry of new lets, following the successful implementation of the three-stage strategy earlier this year.
The new lets consist of a mixture of retail and leisure offerings, with brands as diverse as Poundworld, Greene King and Lifestyle Fitness set to take up space within the shopping centre.
New Look has also agreed to reinforce its already strong presence and will move to a new two storey unit measuring 16,000 sq ft on a ten year lease.
Poundworld, meanwhile, will move into the former New Look store on the ground floor of the West Mall, with the newly configured store due to measure over 16,000 sq ft.
Operations and property director at the brand, Mark Ward, believes this will provide an excellent opportunity to strengthen Poundworld’s position in Doncaster.
He says; “This new large store in Frenchgate will provide us with a real opportunity to strengthen our presence in one of our key markets and in a town where Poundworld have built up a very loyal customer base.
“We look forward to utilising the centre’s wide catchment and strong footfall.”
Frenchgate’s leisure offer will also see two new openings, with Greene King PLC, trading under Hungry Horse, set to open a 5,800 sq ft unit within the centre’s Food Mall. Fit out work is due to commence on the unit shortly which will showcase the national family pub brand’s innovative new design, and the brand is currently in the process of taking on 40 new members of staff to cater for the forecast high demand.
One of the highlights of the second stage of the performance plan for Frenchgate is the arrival of gym chain Lifestyle Fitness, which will open its first shopping centre outlet in the UK, introducing a new health and leisure offer to the centre. Lifestyle Fitness will take up 20,000 sq ft and will provide state of the art gym equipment by market leaders Technogym, Gym80 and Escape Fitness.
Asset manager at centre owner the Frenchgate Limited Partnership, Paul Devlin, believes that the new tenants, along with the upcoming reconfiguration of the Doncaster Railway Station entrance, will prove attractive for consumers.
He says; “The Performance Plan is working well and we are really pleased with the positive effect already being reported by our retailers and the Doncaster community alike.
“Frenchgate has outperformed in its sector due to its town centre position and exceptional transport facilities incorporating bus, rail and multi-storey parking.
“Our objective is to focus on providing the optimum shopper experience, be innovative in our retail offer and fulfil our customers’ expectations with a distinctive range of retail and leisure brands – the results are extremely encouraging.”
