RivingtonHark Launch Operating Partner Search for Iconic Liverpool Tower
Expressions of Interest sought from 'best-in-class' attraction, hospitality and events providers
RivingtonHark have today launched a major national search for best-in-class operating partners to help reimagine a landmark in one of Europe’s fastest growing cities.
St Johns Beacon is one of the most recognisable structures in Liverpool. Visible from across the city and far beyond its centre, it occupies a rare position in the urban landscape: instantly identifiable, centrally located, and permanently elevated above the everyday.
At a moment when Liverpool’s visitor economy, cultural confidence and commercial ambition are all accelerating, the Beacon presents a unique proposition. RivingtonHark are particularly interested in speaking with world-class attraction operators, new wave restauranteurs, specialist hospitality and experience providers, as well as best in class events and conference organisers.
Liverpool’s tourism market has increased to 60 million plus per annum with over 12.5 million living within a 1.5 hour drive time. The Beacon, already an iconic landmark in Liverpool, now has the opportunity to deliver a spectacular new vision and destination for the city.
Further details can be found at:
or
laurence.jones@rivingtonhark.com
Expressions of Interest are requested by Friday 5th June 2026.
Fareham Public Consultation Draws Strong Community Engagement
More than 600 residents share feedback on ambitious town centre regeneration plans
Royal Victoria Place - Public Consultation Complete
Strong support for proposals following three rounds of extensive public engagement in Tunbridge Wells
RivingtonHark, as development advisors to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) and the wider project team have recently completed the third round of public engagement on plans for refurbishment and redevelopment of Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells.
Over 8,000 people took part in the engagement and demonstrated very strong support for the proposals which will include a new cinema, restaurants, cafes, competitive socialising and modernised retail spaces set around a new area of public realm and improved internal shopping centre environment.
Planning applications have now been submitted for the internal shopping centre works in Palm Court. The cinema and restaurant application on Ely Court is to follow later in the year.
This continues the positive momentum that TWBC, in partnership with RivingtonHark as Asset Manager and Development Managers, have built since acquiring the asset in late 2023.
More news to follow this summer.
RivingtonHark Appoints Nick Lee As Executive Director
RivingtonHark Welcomes Nick Lee to our Board as Executive Director
Nick brings more than 30 years of real estate experience, having previously holding influential roles at Knight Frank, Berkeley Group and CEG.
His appointment bolsters our development, asset management and strategic investment capabilities, particularly in the office and residential sectors, and further enhances the depth of our senior leadership team.
Throughout his career, Nick has been involved in the delivery of several high-profile schemes, including Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth and the award-winning EQ office development in Bristol. He has also secured planning consent for major projects such as the 1,500-unit BTR scheme opposite Birmingham New Street and a 72-storey mixed-use tower in Canary Wharf.
We are delighted to have him join the team and look forward to the expertise he brings as we continue to grow the business.
To find out more about Nick’s new role read Jessica Middleton-Pugh‘s article in Green Street News: Europe https://lnkd.in/e47TcWit
Palace Shopping Enfield Welcomes New Brands
A wave of new openings, lease renewals, and ongoing investment highlights the centre's growing strength as a key retail and leisure destination in north London
Palace Shopping in Enfield has strengthened its retail and F&B line-up with a wave of new openings and renewed lease commitments from existing occupiers—underlining the centre’s growing appeal to both brands and shoppers across north London.
Over the past six months additions to the retail lineup include Rituals, which opened in the former Office unit, bringing its well-being and beauty offer to Enfield. Incanda Living, a lifestyle homewares retailer, has also joined taking 1,400 sq ft previously occupied by Ann Summers. Further enhancing the F&B mix, Karak Chaii is set to arrive next, with the 1,100 sq ft café expected to open in May 2026.
Occupiers continue to have confidence in the centre renewing their leases as a result of strong store performance and footfall increases. Recently completed renewals include O2, The Works, The Body Shop and Card Factory.
The leasing activity reinforces Palace Shopping’s position as a resilient, community-focused retail destination and follows a multi-million pound programme of investment in mall and central square improvements designed to enhance the customer experience.
Proposals to further improve the scheme by introducing new homes as well as delivering a reconfigured retail and F&B provision are currently being progressed. The latest phase of the public engagement on these plans has recently been completed and will help inform the proposed scheme design.
Neil Woodward, Senior Asset Manager at RivingtonHark, commented:
“We are delighted to welcome Rituals to Palace Shopping. Their arrival highlights the attractiveness of the shopping centre as a key retail hub. We also look forward to Karak Chaii opening as it will undoubtedly enhance the visitor experience and aligns perfectly with our strategy of providing a diverse mix of tenants.”
RivingtonHark MD, David Lewis, joins a panel of industry experts to debate the future of "Net Zero" targets and the role of Regenerative Development
David Lewis joins a round table held by Building in Partnership with Ridge & Partners
Please click link below for full article.
Irwin Mitchell secure space in Sheffield's pioneering Net Zero office building
Irwin Mitchell Letting takes office occupancy to 98% at Sheffield's Heart of the City
RivingtonHark is pleased to announce that leading national law firm Irwin Mitchell has signed for 48,000 sq ft of office space at Elshaw House within Sheffield’s landmark Heart of the City development.
Founded in Sheffield in 1912, Irwin Mitchell employs more than 1,000 people in the city across a wide range of legal disciplines including personal injury, medical negligence, family law, private client and business legal services. The move represents a significant long-term commitment to Sheffield city centre and the next phase of the firm’s growth.
Irwin Mitchell will occupy floors two to five of the 73,000 sq ft Grade A office building, joining fellow occupiers DLA Piper and Turner & Townsend. Workspace across Heart of the City is now at 98% occupancy, underlining the strength of demand for high-quality sustainable workspace in Sheffield city centre.
Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and delivered by Henry Boot, Elshaw House is Sheffield’s first Zero Carbon ready office building. This pioneering development for Sheffield is targeting NABERS 5*, BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and RIBA 2030 accreditation, which would place the asset in the top one percent of all new UK office buildings in terms of quality and long-term sustainability.
It forms a key part of Sheffield City Council’s flagship Heart of the City regeneration programme — a transformational mixed-use development that has reshaped a major part of the city centre through new workplaces, homes, retail, leisure, culture and public realm.
Extending across more than 17 acres, the scheme has also delivered major public realm improvements including Pound’s Park and Leah’s Yard, helping reconnect key parts of the city centre including The Moor, Devonshire Quarter, Fargate and Castlegate.
Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council, said:
“Businesses have been flocking to take a look at the high-quality buildings, and it is no surprise that we are now very close to full capacity.
“The addition of Irwin Mitchell to the project brings yet another major Sheffield business to Heart of the City. The firm has been serving the people of Sheffield for more than 100 years and will continue to do so for many years to come from our brilliant Elshaw House building.”
RivingtonHark acts as sole Asset Manager on behalf of Sheffield City Council, overseeing the operational performance, leasing and long-term evolution of this best in class and transformational scheme.
Momentum builds in Sheffield's Heart of the City
Sheffield's Heart of the City continues to bolster its F&B, leisure and retail offer as momentum builds across Sheffield's flagship city-centre regeneration
Sheffield City Council’s Heart of the City development continues to attract a growing mix of national and independent retail, leisure and food and beverage operators as the scheme matures into one of the region’s most compelling city-centre destinations.
The regeneration has already delivered a critical mass of high-quality office space, residential accommodation and public realm, with its leisure and retail offer now rapidly strengthening as new occupiers commit to the estate.
New openings including Gus Wellness, which has launched a premium thermal wellness concept within the former Sunday School building on Cambridge Street. The venue offers professionally run sauna experiences alongside a Scandinavian-inspired café, exemplifying the project’s focus on adaptive re-use of heritage buildings to support contemporary uses.
Further enhancing the food and beverage offer, Maria Restaurant & Bar is set to open in Spring 2026 on Wellington Street. The authentic Italian dining concept comes from the team behind Bench, La Pearl and Bench La Cave and is expected to become a major new destination within the city centre.
These additions sit alongside established and popular operators including Hygge Café, Kapital Beer Hall & Restaurant, and the award-winning Cambridge Street Collective Food Hall, reinforcing Heart of the City’s position as a growing F&B and leisure hub with appeal across day and evening economies.
The retail line-up has also expanded significantly. Lifestyle fashion brand Damaged Society opened shortly before Christmas, joining a strong existing mix that includes Søstrene Grene, Fjällräven, Yards Store and Cream Store. This will be further strengthened by the imminent opening of Weekend Offender in Spring 2026, which has selected Heart of the City for its first physical store in England, alongside British brand Lucy & Yak, renowned for its distinctive dungarees, which is due to open in early 2026.
Collectively, the breadth of recent lettings highlights Heart of the City’s ability to attract high quality national and independent operators, drawn by a combination of strong placemaking, high-quality architecture, heritage-led regeneration and a growing resident and working population at the heart of Sheffield.
With a number of additional occupiers currently in advanced discussions, Heart of the City continues to build critical mass and reinforce its role as a key driver of Sheffield city-centre regeneration.
Mark Williams, Chairman at RivingtonHark, commented:
“What has already been achieved at Heart of the City is remarkable. The scheme continues to evolve at pace, consolidating its credentials as one of the best mixed-use city-centre regeneration projects in the country. The quality and diversity of occupiers seeking representation here is a direct reflection of the strength of the vision, the execution to date and the long-term confidence in Sheffield as a city.”
A Busy 2025 for RivingtonHark
A reflection of some of the highlights of the past year
It has been another busy year for the RivingtonHark business. There have been many company and project highlights throughout 2025 across the entire breadth of our business.
Company
We celebrated 25 years of the business changing and improving assets and places and also:
- Welcomed 4 new team members to the business
- Hosted our inaugural Town Centre Repair Shop which brought together 15 Local Authorities and Public Bodies for a round table discussion on the challenges and solutions to improving town centres
- Secured a Bronze medal from Ecovadis for our ESG work for the third year in a row putting us in the top 35% of companies that Ecovardis assess
- Enjoyed our annual Company Strategy trip to Madrid
Asset Management
Across our portfolio we completed 130+ leasing transactions, won 5 Green Apple awards (including a Gold Apple) 2 Revo awards reflecting the strength or our approach to sustainability at our centres.
Our project achievements include:
Sheffield: Being appointed as asset managers on Heart Of The City – the major 1.5m sq.ft regeneration scheme developed by Sheffield City Council – providing Grade A offices and a diverse mix of retail, leisure and F&B. Since appointment we have completed 11 retail, F&B and office lettings.
Norwich: Selling Castle Quarter having asset managed the project for 13 years and completed a successful repositioning strategy to create the city’s No1 retail, leisure and lifestyle destination – photo
Tunbridge Wells: Welcoming a new anchor tenant at Royal Victoria Place with the opening of Primark in a former BHS and securing Fenwick’s long-term future in the scheme by regearing their lease.
Liverpool: Opening XF Gym in the 30,000 sq.ft former Wilko store at St Johns and launching the marketing of The Beacon to find an exciting new occupier for our iconic building.
Newbury: Completing the final occupier agreements to enable vacant possession at the Kennet Centre having secured planning to demolish part of the centre and build 317 homes.
Development Management
In addition to being appointed to the NHS Property Services framework our team have:
Fareham: Been appointed as Development Manager and re-appointed as Asset Manager by Fareham Borough Council to deliver the Fareham Regeneration project.
Enfield: Completed public realm works at Palace Shopping as part of a multi-million pound improvement plan which also facilitated the refurbishment of Pearsons department store.
Swansea: Completed consultant appointments and contractor procurement for a new £25m, 35,000 sq.ft Grade A Public sector hub on behalf of Swansea Council.
Merthyr Tydfil: Completed a major strategy report for Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council identifying options for the redevelopment of the St Tydfil Centre.
Shrewsbury: On behalf of Shropshire Council, secured planning consent for a mixed-use scheme comprising 90,000 sq.ft offices, 255 residential units, 180 bed hotel, 12,900 sq.ft Medical use with associated highways and public realm.
Completed demolition of Riverside Shopping Centre, procured the contractor and started works for a new £20m (DHLUC funded) public park as phase one of the regeneration.
Consultations: Kicked off 3 public consultations for major planning applications in Enfield, Fareham and Tunbridge Wells for a mix of uses including 600 homes.
2026 is promising to be another busy year as we progress all of our project plans and work with our existing investor partners to acquire £250m of shopping centres!
Strong 2025 Performance at St Johns, Liverpool
Scheme Hits 97% Occupancy
Liverpool St Johns has reported one of its strongest years yet with letting momentum, trading performance and tenant fit-out investment demonstrating the scheme’s position as a thriving retail destination.
There have been many new tenants welcomed to St Johns in 2025 including the landmark arrival of XF Gym in the 30,000 sq.ft former Wilko unit – bringing a cutting-edge wellness and fitness space which added a new leisure dimension to the offer at the centre.
The continuing strength reflected in the F&B market at St Johns saw other new occupiers including Coffee Houses and Roast opening their doors and Pizza Dawgz coming soon.
This strong trading performance supported all tenants with lease expiries through the year to commit to renewals, many of which invested in store refits. In addition, some of our mall occupiers had confidence to upsize into retail units including Cake Box who needed additional space to satisfy customer demand.
The overall tenant investment in new store fitouts and refits over the course of the year amounted to in excess of £6m.
There are exciting plans for the year ahead at the centre with options for the Beacon (former Radio City Tower) being explored to introduce a new destinational use that will bring additional footfall and another reason to come to St Johns.
Mark Harvey says “St Johns has a special place at the heart of Liverpool and it is great to see shoppers love visiting and retailers wanting to be here. We are not resting on our laurels though and are looking to evolve the customer experience by bringing in further leisure and non-retail uses in response to customer feedback – introducing XF Gym was the first step in that but there is more to come. The iconic Beacon has given us a fantastic opportunity to add an exiting use to St Johns’ offer and we look forward to sharing more on this soon.”