RivingtonHark appoints Development Manager to work on new instructions
Matt Jones joins as Development Manager
Matt Jones has joined RivingtonHark as a Development Manager to work on a growing portfolio of complex mixed use urban regeneration schemes. He brings over 10 years of cross-sector experience to the team and most recently worked on the development and regeneration of The Arch Company’s portfolio, owned by Blackstone and Telereal Trillium. Here he completed numerous projects, delivering office, retail, F&B, residential and industrial schemes.
Prior to this, Matt has worked in Acquisition/Development, Investment Agency and Valuation roles at BizSpace, Lambert Smith Hampton and Cushman & Wakefield with a UK-wide focus. He is passionate about the regeneration of under-utilised urban areas and brings a depth of cross-sector and multi-discipline experience to the team.
Drive Lounge Starts It Engines At Norwich's Castle Quarter
RivingtonHark are delighted to see Drive Lounge 'start its engines' at Castle Quarter, Norwich's top social and leisure destination!
Drive Lounge is a new virtual motorsports concept fusing cutting-edge racing simulation. The virtual driving experience operator has taken unit UU08, located on the ground of Castle Quarter and totalling 1,606 sq ft on a trial six-month licence. As well as multi-format racing simulators, Drive Lounge also provides drinks and snacks offered to gamers between drives. Castle Quarter is its first location within a city centre scheme.
Will Ashdown, Asset Manager at RivingtonHark, said: “Gaming experiences such as Drive Lounge are at the cutting edge of the competitive socialising and leisure sectors, and as such it is fantastic to see its arrival at Castle Quarter, further expanding the range of entertainment options it has to offers. That this is Drive Lounge’s first in-centre operation highlights the success of the repositioning we have undertaken, putting a greater emphasis on the social, leisure and lifestyle options that offer a new role for city centre destinations.”
Roche and Jamieson Mills are the retained agents on Castle Quarter.
Landmark deal achieved for Royal Victoria Place, Tunbridge Wells
Primark Acquire Old BHS Unit
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council can confirm that Primark is to open a store in Royal Tunbridge Wells following the retailer’s purchase of the former BHS building in the centre of the town.
In 2023 the Council acquired the Royal Victoria Place shopping centre and has been working hard, together with their Asset and Development Manager RivingtonHark, to bring new brands into the town. The arrival of the hugely popular retailer Primark, who will trade on two floors of a site that extends into the shopping centre, is viewed as another significant step in the revitalisation of the town centre.
A key part of our Leasing Strategy for Royal Victoria Place was to bolster the fashion offering with a landmark anchor tenant. This letting is a turning point in the vitality of the centre and will act as a bedrock for leasing and investment into the scheme. We see clear synergies with Primark’s offer and our current tenants and are confident that their arrival will further facilitate growth and opportunities.
Primark Director of Sales for London & the South East, Philippa Nibbs said:
“We are thrilled to be opening a new store in Tunbridge Wells. We know our customers have wanted a Primark here for a long time, so we can’t wait to open the doors and let our customers shop the products they know and love closer to home. Works will be underway soon and we will update in due course, but in the meantime, customers can shop at our nearby Maidstone and Crawley stores.”
Cllr Justine Rutland, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Chair of the Investment Advisory Panel and Cabinet member for Economic Development said:
‘We are delighted to be welcoming Primark to Tunbridge Wells. It was really important to us to see the former BHS unit filled with a store that many residents, especially young people, have been asking for, and which will complement existing businesses. Its arrival will create jobs and lead to a significant increase in footfall, bringing economic benefits to the town and the wider borough. Where Primark goes, other retailers follow, so this is a great reason to be cheerful for the future of the town centre.’
Lee Colyer, the Council’s Director of Finance Policy & Development said:
“The Council has played an important role in encouraging Primark to become the permanent occupant of the former BHS site in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Residents and businesses have been calling for Primark to have a presence in the town centre and this will provide a tremendous boost to the local economy and will link neatly with the recently acquired Royal Victoria Place shopping centre.
Primark will be making a significant investment which we hope will encourage other businesses to also recognise that the prospects for Tunbridge Wells town centre have never looked better.”
Primark is expected to begin its refurbishment of the site imminently. Details about an opening date will be communicated by the company in due course.
Royal Victoria Place, Tunbridge Wells - Sostrene Grene Launch
Queues, Queues, Queues for new Sostrene Grene Opening
Søstrene Grene have opened their first store in Kent at Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells. The Danish retailer well-known for their high quality and ethically focussed Scandinavian style products, ranging from homewares to sewing supplies had a much-anticipated opening with the first 100 customers receiving a voucher for a free tufted rug as well as tote bags containing items from their range. The many patiently queueing customers were serenaded by a string quartet and enjoyed an elegant ballet routine while they waited to shop the store.
RivingtonHark began asset managing the scheme in October of 2023 and through our portfolio analytics and market knowledge have defined a tenant mix strategy to deliver occupiers we believe will elevate the retail offer of Royal Victoria Place. Sostrene Grene were identified as one of the brands that would resonate with shoppers in Tunbridge Wells and complement the likes of Fenwicks, Oliver Bonas, Hobbs, Burrells Jewellers and Next who are already in the scheme. This letting, together with the other lettings completed since purchase, is a great start to our transformation of Royal Victoria Place and shoppers clearly agree with 2024 footfall up 8% year on year.
“A key part of our strategy is to attract high-quality tenants to Royal Victoria Place to better reflect the shopper catchment of Tunbridge Wells. Søstrene Grene ticked these boxes and they have strong synergies with many of our current tenant line-up. We have a fantastic platform of high quality occupiers which we are building on to create a vibrant destination for residents, shoppers, visitors and workers.” – Aran Uner, Asset Manager
Castle Quarter, Norwich - repositioning into a social, leisure and lifestyle space
Giving Consumers What They Want
Fantastic to see Retail Destination take a look at the repositioning work we have undertaken at Castle Quarter, transforming it into Norwich’s leading social, leisure and lifestyle destination.
As detailed by our very own William Ashdown from our Asset Management team, it has been quite the journey, but with around 50% of the scheme now dedicated to leisure, competitive social and dining operators, Castle Quarter is defining a new role for city centre schemes while retaining its traditional retail strengths.
The strategy we have put in place is paying dividends: visitor numbers surged 9% in 2023 compared to the previous year (seven times the increase in Norwich as a whole, and twice the rate of the wider UK), while dwell time and car park usage rose in every month in 2023 year-on-year. 75% of occupiers saw higher trading figures compared to 2022.
Read the full article in Retail Destination
RivingtonHark Team Conference & Study Tour
RivingtonHark visit Valencia
RivingtonHark has recently been on its annual conference. This year to Valencia.
As well as the usual activities of business review, corporate strategy and best practice we took full advantage of Valencia’s wonderful attributes to study place making, architecture, markets, public realm, culture, sustainable transport and naturally the best food and beverage the city had to offer.
A great trip of team bonding in a place filled with exemplars of what we strive for in our work.
RivingtonHark awarded with a Bronze Medal
RivingtonHark are in the top 22% of the real estate linked companies that Ecovardis has evaluated in the last 12 months!
Along with many of our investor partners RivingtonHark, is putting a lot of thought and effort into ways that ensure we are making the biggest difference possible through our ESG activities.
As part of our commitment to measuring how we are doing we have recently been evaluated by Ecovadis, a leading sustainability rating agency, and are delighted to have achieved a Bronze Medal from the assessment this year.
First Stage of the Smithfield Riverside Regeneration Project Approved
RivingtonHark is delighted that Shropshire Council’s Planning Committee voted to approve the first stage of the Smithfield Riverside regeneration project in Shrewsbury this week
We have been working alongside Shropshire Council since 2022 on Smithfield Riverside – the ambitious regeneration project set to transform the area between the River Severn, the Darwin shopping centre and Roushill in Shrewsbury town centre.
Financed from £19 million of Levelling Up money, this approval enables the demolition of the Riverside shopping centre and former Riverside medical practice, paving the way for key enabling works on site for further phases of the scheme.
It also permits the delivery of a landmark new public park adjacent to Roushill, improving connectivity with the river, contributing to the flood adaption measures and helping to breathe new life and vibrancy into the area, as well as improving biodiversity in the town centre.
Demolition work is targeted to start this Summer and construction of the new park is expected to get underway before the end of 2024.
This is a key moment in shaping the future of Shrewsbury town centre with the plans that were approved laying the ideal foundations to develop something truly transformational.
Government Funding for Regeneration - Revo Seminar
David Lewis, Executive Director, shares his views and experience as part of the expert panel on Government Funding for Regeneration at Revo seminar
Missed the webinar? Then Revo members can watch the recording on RevoComms
https://revo-comms.org/media_center/folder/2a4f8b6f-53de-4cc0-957b-6601ee07c96c