RivingtonHark brings XF Gym to St Johns Shopping Centre Liverpool
XF Gym to Open Brand New 30,000 sq ft Fitness Centre in Liverpool City Centre
XF Gym, one of the UK’s newest fitness and wellness brands, will be opening a 30,000 square foot state-of-the-art fitness and wellbeing facility in the heart of Liverpool’s city centre. Having signed a new lease with us at the iconic St Johns Shopping Centre, XF Gym is set to bring a unique blend of world-class training facilities, wellness spaces, and a supportive community atmosphere to the city.
The new fitness hub will feature an expansive open-plan workout zone, a women-only space, as well as a wide variety of fitness classes in its group exercise studios, including yoga, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), boxing, dance, and cycling, along with luxury changing facilities for the ultimate fitness experience.
The award-winning St Johns Shopping Centre is a Liverpool icon comprising 540,000 sq ft of retail and leisure offerings as well as the amazing St Johns Beacon. Averaging one million visitors per month St Johns is home to a variety of popular brands, including JD Sports, Aldi, Liverpool FC Store, Sainsbury’s, Home Bargains, Argos and Matalan, as well as a fantastic collection of F&B and independent retailers.
St Johns is located just metres from Lime Street Station, which sees nearly 20 million passengers every year, and is adjacent to the city’s busiest bus station – Queen Square. A 625-space car park adds further convenience for visitors, making it easy to access the new XF Gym.
The transformation of this former Wilko store into an exciting new fitness hub reflects how the scheme is changing to meet the needs of customers, visitors and workers.
Work will begin immediately to create this amazing new facility which is set to open in the autumn of 2025.
Laurence Benson, CEO at XF Gym commented:
“XF Gym is thrilled to bring its unique fitness experience to the heart of Liverpool – a city built on ambition, resilience, and unbreakable community spirit—values that define XF Gym. St. Johns Shopping Centre is the perfect home for our expansion. With its central location and excellent transport connections, we’re making world-class training facilities, market-leading wellness spaces, and a supportive community more accessible than ever.
“XF Gym isn’t just a place to train—we are a movement. And we can’t wait to help every member thrive.”
Neil Ashcroft, Centre Director at St Johns Shopping Centre, commented:
“With an unbeatable location, over one million visitors per month and a broad mix of retailers and leisure offerings, St Johns Shopping Centre is the perfect home for growing, innovative businesses like XF Gym. We share their sense of community, and I am sure Liverpool’s residents, shoppers and workers will love the new gym experience they offer.”
Mark Harvey, Executive Director at RivingtonHark, commented:
“We are delighted to partner with XF Gym to bring a fresh, affordable fitness option to Liverpool, this will be a fantastic addition to St Johns Shopping Centre and further enhance the offer available to our visitors.”
Key Discussions at MIPIM
Shaping City Identities through Iconic Landmarks
Mark Williams was delighted to be joined by Remi Smith, Bill Addy, Tariq Albassam, and Kate Hart at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority stand this morning, where he had the opportunity to discuss how iconic landmarks such as St. John’s Beacon play a vital role in shaping city identities. These landmarks are not only central to driving regeneration and investment but also contribute to cultural transformation within the region.
Mark shared valuable insights drawn from our extensive regeneration experience in major UK cities, including Liverpool, Newcastle, and London. He emphasized the importance of unlocking the potential of heritage assets, promoting sustainable urban transformation, and enhancing public-private sector collaboration to maximize opportunities in these dynamic urban landscapes.
The panel discussion formed part of the international launch of St. John’s Beacon, one of the key highlights at this year’s MIPIM. As part of our ongoing efforts to unlock leasing opportunities for this landmark asset, we are excited to share that St. John’s Beacon now offers 7,500 sq ft of prime space at its peak—an exceptional opportunity for businesses and occupiers looking to elevate their brand and secure a place on Liverpool’s iconic skyline.
We look forward to connecting with potential tenants who are ready to make their mark in this prime location.
Rochdale Riverside "thrives at five"
Rochdale Riverside Celebrates Fifth Anniversary with New Openings and Continued Success
As it nears its fifth anniversary—having first opened amid the challenges of the COVID outbreak—Rochdale Riverside continues to flourish. The arrival of two well-known brands, Holland & Barrett and Taco Bell, at the scheme further cements its position as the town’s prime retail and leisure destination.
The popular Mexican-inspired food chain Taco Bell has opened a 3,128 sq. ft. restaurant, enhancing Rochdale Riverside’s vibrant dining scene, neighbouring existing leisure anchors REEL Cinema and Putt & Play (formerly Puttstars).
Meanwhile, the UK’s leading health and wellness retailer Holland & Barrett has launched a 1,602 sq. ft. store, catering to the growing demand for high-quality health products.
Alongside the new arrivals, existing retailers at Rochdale Riverside are seeing success which has led to Greggs upsizing its store, highlighting the centre’s strong performance. With only one vacant unit remaining, the scheme continues to attract high-profile brands, driving footfall and car park usage, which are both out performing national benchmarks.
The 220,000 sq. ft. open-air shopping and leisure destination, which includes a 527-space car park, is home to leading retailers including M&S, Next, H&M, River Island, Boots, and JD Sports. The addition of Taco Bell and Holland & Barrett reflects the continued confidence in Rochdale Riverside as a thriving hub for shoppers and visitors.
Mark Harvey, Executive Director at RivingtonHark, commented:
‘These new lettings alongside our existing tenants expanding their spaces, have ensured Riverside has a strong line up to suit all our shoppers. Rochdale Riverside’s momentum continues as it shapes itself into a diverse destination, bringing together leading retailers, restaurants and leisure attractions in the heart of the town centre”.
RivingtonHark Have Moved
RivingtonHark Have Moved! New Office Location In Covent Garden
We are excited to announce that we’ve officially relocated our offices to a new space in the heart of London!
Our new address is:-
15 Bedford Street,
London
WC2E 9HE
RivingtonHark 25 Year Anniversary Celebrations
Reflections on our recent anniversary celebrations at The Century Club in Soho.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us to mark this milestone: 25 years of shaping the future of UK towns and cities.
It was a privilege to celebrate alongside our incredible partners, clients, colleagues and original founders Rob Cossey and David Henderson- Williams. It was a great evening to reflect on the substantial achievements of the past and look forward to a busy future curating, transforming, and future-proofing our urban places.
Edutainment in Shopping Centres
Edutainment: Transforming Shopping Centres into Family-Friendly Destinations
Nothing ruins a family shopping trip quicker that a grumpy child who wants to go home. Not every child loves a day out shopping for new school shoes or watching mum and dad look at new phone cases.
Finding different ways to attract and keep young families entertained while they are shopping in one of our schemes is an important objective for us. If we find the right solutions this can help increase footfall, extend shopping trips and enhance the customer experience.
We have found three great operators to work with and brought in Playbox, Kidsbury Play and Wonder to our centres in Enfield, Tunbridge Wells and Fareham respectively.
These businesses are focused on the educational development of children (up to the age of 7) through role play. They create worlds of imagination for children to explore and have fun – all while under the watchful eye of the parents as they relax with a well earned coffee from the in-house cafes.
The customer response to these openings has been fantastic and, who knows, the fond childhood memories these play spaces create may just bring the adults of the future back for more shopping and days out with their own little ones.
RivingtonHark adds mandates and team members for next era of growth
The asset and development manager marks 25 years in business with expansion into new areas.
For 25 years, we have been at the forefront of revitalising town and city centres across the UK. From unlocking value in struggling assets to delivering major regeneration projects, our expertise has helped curate, evolve, and future-proof the places where people live, work, and spend time.
Since the merger of Rivington (est. 2014) and Hark (est. 1999) five years ago, we have grown into the UK’s leading independent town and city centre regeneration specialist, delivering expert development, asset management, and strategic investment advice across a £1bn+ portfolio.
We’ve built and invested £500m+ since COVID in places including Chester, Swansea, Liverpool, Leeds, Romford, and Enfield. We are currently active in 13 towns and cities, advising on 1m+ sq. ft. of regeneration and managing eight shopping centre assets. We are advising local authorities, such as Newcastle, Shrewsbury, and Fareham, helping them unlock complex regeneration challenges.
Looking ahead, we’ve been appointed to regenerate over 600,000 sq. ft. of shopping centres in Merthyr Tydfil and Tunbridge Wells, repurposing these spaces for the future. Our public sector expertise has also been recognised with our selection to the NHS Property Services development management framework.
To celebrate this milestone, David Lewis and Mark Williams sat down with Jessica Middleton Pugh at Greenstreet News to discuss our latest mandates and the future of urban regeneration. Click here to read more: https://greenstreetnews.com/article/rivingtonhark-adds-mandates-and-team-members-for-next-era-of-growth/?mc_cid=c6a663b67d
A huge thank you to our team, partners, and clients for being part of this journey. From arenas to markets, homes to office hubs, cinemas to public parks, we’re proud to be leading the way in redefining UK towns and cities. With unrivalled expertise, a proven track record, and capital capability, we’re ready for the next 25 years.
Asian Flavours on the rise in RivingtonHark's Portfolio
RivingtonHark Embracing the Asian Food Revolution with a Series of New Tenant Openings
Consumer habits are evolving, and one of the most exciting trends shaping the retail landscape is the UK’s growing love for Asian culture, food, and international influences. From the rising popularity of Asian restaurants and street food to the surge in Asian supermarkets, this sector is thriving more than ever.
At RivingtonHark, we’re always looking to stay ahead of emerging trends and bring fresh, in-demand concepts to our destinations. That’s why we’re excited to welcome three new Asian supermarket operators—each offering a Grab & Go food selection—to our schemes in Liverpool, Norwich, and Enfield.
All of these operators are trading extremely well and have brought something different to our tenant mix which has helped increase footfall and dwell time.
With the increasing exposure that the UK consumer gets to Korean and other Asian cultures we think there is more to come from this sector in UK shopping centres – our customers certainly love them!
A Warm Welcome Back to Landsec at Liverpool One
Welcome Back Landsec
The sun might not be out, but on behalf of RivingtonHark, Ocean Outdoor and St Johns in Liverpool we give a warm welcome back to Landsec following their purchase of Liverpool One.
Landsec previously developed and successfully managed St Johns for over five decades before we acquired it. Since then, St Johns has continued to evolve, thriving as Liverpool’s primary community centre. It works in harmony with Liverpool One, contributing to the vibrancy and success of the area.
Both St Johns and Landsec are also fortunate to work closely with Ocean Outdoor, Landsec’s partner on the iconic Piccadilly Circus screen in London, whilst St Johns is proud to have the striking Liverpool Media Wall.
Landsec’s purchase of Liverpool One is a fantastic boost for the city and demonstrates the importance of Liverpool as an investment opportunity, economic powerhouse and world class visitor destination.
Palace Shopping Welcomes The Secret Garden
Community Garden Created at Palace Shopping Enfield
RivingtonHark are delighted to highlight the success of The Secret Garden community project recently installed in Enfield.
A once-neglected area off the Waitrose service yard has been transformed into a vibrant community garden. This project, aimed at enhancing accessible green spaces, reflects the centre’s commitment to community well-being, inclusivity, and sustainability. With support from local community groups the garden has been designed to provide a welcoming environment for staff and members of the community. Sustainable practices are evident throughout the garden.
Upcycled wooden pallets were transformed into planters and seating by Men in Sheds charitable organisation, showcasing the power of community collaboration and resourcefulness. Volunteers from the community, alongside both the centre management and marketing team, played a key role in preparing the site and painting the walls, creating a sense of shared ownership and pride.
The neglected space has been transformed into a peaceful and inspiring environment for all stakeholders in Enfield to enjoy.
Led by volunteers and supported by organisations like RivingtonHark, Mapp and NowMedia, The Secret Garden will be an initiative we hope to see thrive, fostering a sense of community and environmental stewardship. The project highlights the power of collective action in transforming spaces and strengthening connections within the local area.
By combining creativity and sustainability, The Secret Garden is contributing to a brighter, greener future for Enfield and its residents.
For more information, please see link to the case study below.https://rivingtonhark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SecretGarden_CaseStudy_PalaceShopping_Nov2024.pdf