DESPITE recent claims to the contrary, business is booming at St
Martin's Square shopping centre in Leicester.
Refuting recent claims of empty units and high rents, joint
letting agent for the centre, Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH), believes
that St Martin's Square continues to attract interest from a
diverse range of retailers, while enabling existing tenants to grow
and expand.
Leicester's independent cookware retailer, The Original Cookware
Company, is but one of the retailers taking a 'bigger is better'
approach to its presence in the centre by relocating to a larger
store.
In line with its expansion plans, the retailer has taken a 1,681
sq ft on a five-year lease with an annual rent of
£36,000.
In order to facilitate this expansion, LSH relocated ladies
footwear brand, Moda in Pelle, into the former Jade Shoes unit on
Silver Street. The retailer has taken 850 sq ft unit on a
two-year lease.
Martin Herbert, Head of Retail Agency at LSH's Leicester office,
said: "We are working hard to maintain strong levels of footfall in
the centre by providing an affordable option to attract a wide
range of retailers from local independent occupiers to large
regional chains.
"This is not only benefiting the retailers but also the
customers, who are able to enjoy an enhanced and diverse shopping
experience. We are actively speaking to a wide variety of retailers
looking for retail units within the city centre and hope to be able
to announce other lettings in the very near future"
Herbert continued: "With almost 3 million visitors per year, a
figure which has actually increased following the opening of
Highcross, St Martin's Square is without a doubt one of Leicester's
most successful retail schemes.