Page 66 - Sep-Oct 2021

FOCUS ON - UK & IRELAND

A Wealth of

Opportunities

Like the rest of the world, the UK & Ireland
is once again finding its feet as restrictions
begin to ease from the coronavirus
pandemic. While the country is by no
means clear of the virus, retail real
estate developments are once again
getting back on track and in this
article we take a look at a selection
of recently opened schemes and
some of these exciting ones in the
pipeline.

ne of the first live events to take place in the
UK since the onset of the pandemic in the
country back in March 2020, the Completely Retail
OMarketplace, London edition that also features the
Revo Conference will take place at Old Billingsgate Market on 28
September and offer attendees the chance to reconnect and learn more
about the current state of retail real estate in the UK.
Ahead of the event, we take the opportunity over the next few pages
to highlight a wealth of incredible schemes from across the UK & Ireland
as projects up and down the country look for innovative new tenants and
attractions to draw the crowds back to their sites.
Launched back in June, St James Quarter in Edinburgh is truly one of the most
ambitious and world-leading development to have been launched in the UK in
recent times. St James Quarter is a new retail led, lifestyle district that fully
integrates into and enhances Edinburgh’s City Centre providing an inspiring,
attractive, and vibrant destination for locals and visitors to live, shop, eat,
sleep and play. St James Quarter houses an enviable line up of restaurants,
cafés, bars, shops, public spaces and leisure venues covering 1.7 million
square feet. St James Quarter is set to become a welcoming cultural
and lifestyle hub for art, culture and fashion that will complement
the city’s world-renowned cultural offering and support its vibrant
events calendar. Many brands are debuting in Scotland for the
first time at St James Quarter: The Alchemist, & Other Stories,
Stradivarius, Bershka, and Pull&Bear to name a few. With
these new additions as well as classic favourites and unique
destinations like the one-of-a-kind Bonnie & Wild Food
Hall, St James Quarter reinforces Edinburgh’s position as
Scotland’s cosmopolitan lifestyle capital.
Construction work on The Glass Works – Barnsley
Council’s transformative town centre development
scheme – is almost complete, with hoardings coming
down this month to reveal the town’s new public square.
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, construction has
been able to safely continue and is set to be completed
only a couple of months behind the pre-pandemic timeline.
Following the lifting of key restrictions, all existing elements
of The Glass Works – including Library @ The Lightbox,
Barnsley Markets and Market Kitchen – have all reopened to the