Landsec commits £15m to Trinity Kitchen expansion
Investment at the Leeds shopping centre will see the expansion of its food offering into a 72,000 sq ft “multi-dimensional hospitality destination”.
Owner Land Securities is also ploughing £17m into repurposing the Debenham’s at its St David’s centre in Cardiff, and has now submitted plans for both projects.
Landsedc said that Trinity Kitchen had “transformed the idea of traditional food courts” when it opened in 2013, blending a rotating line-up of food trucks and permanent units.
At present, six pitches rotate between operators on eight-week long stints. Brands to have a bricks-and-mortar base at the food hub include Tortilla, Archie’s, Pho, PizzaLuxe and ThatZiki.
Trinity Kitchen, which attracts 800,000 visitors annually, will see a new outdoor terrace added, offering views over the city, while under-used retail spaces will be used to expand the F&B footprint.
Nik Porter, head of retail asset management at Landsec, said: “These submissions mark the next step in our investment in our major retail destinations. Trinity Leeds and St David’s Cardiff both continually outperform industry benchmarks for footfall and have occupancy rates over 94%.
“By enhancing the guest experience, we’ll increase footfall and dwell time which in turn will bring more brands to the centres, whilst also strengthening the performance of brands already in occupation.
“These new spaces will create even more opportunities for both new and existing brands to benefit from the attraction of new F&B and leisure experiences, quality outdoor space, and the increasing demand for leisure.”
The move reflects a landlord keen to keep on top of a landscape where the “shopping” part of shopping centres is being reduced.
In Manchester, bowling operator King Pins took 30,000 sq ft formerly occupied by Sports Direct, while Newcastle’s Eldon Square is undergoing a major overhaul, centred around bringing F&B and leisure attractions into spaces formerly occupied by Debenham’s and a leisure centre.
