Bristol Alliance partners Land Securities and Hammerson have secured two more catering users - Piccolino and Chandos Deli – for Quakers Friars, the aspirational retail and restaurant element of their Cabot Circus development.

ING Retail Property Fund Britannica has signed three tenants at its Town Square and Spindles Shopping Centre in Oldham following the opening of H&M in March 2008 in the redeveloped Rotunda area. Cinnzeo and Alpha News have opened in Spindles and in Town Square ING Britannica has secured Poundworld in a significant unit.

Pizza Express and Frankie & Benny’s will join leisure anchor tenants Odeon and Tenpin at Wilson Bowden Developments 400,000-sq ft Eagles Meadow retail and leisure scheme in Wrexham ahead of its opening in October.

Orchard Street Investment Management has secured five new tenants for its 125,000-sq ft outlet centre on the M74 at Gretna, in the Scottish Borders.

Hercules Unit Trust, British Land’s specialist retail warehouse fund has sold its Colne Valley retail park in Watford to Igal Ahouvi for £45.075m reflecting a net initial yield of 6.59 per cent

The jury is out on where property values are going – some analysts forecast a crash, others believe a soft landing is most likely. While this year will see a slowdown in new openings, the development pipeline is still operating, with a new generation of bigger and more complex schemes on the drawing board.With this in mind, Shopping Centre Ireland is promoting a new one-day conference for all sectors to address the challenges the current market presents. Sponsors are Tughans, William Fry and Photo-Me.