Land Securities has secured a host of top brands at its four Scottish shopping centres in the past quarter.

Hammerson has secured Footlocker’s second Locker Room store in the UK at Bullring. This follows the concept’s European launch at Brent Cross in November 2011. 

Socially responsible retail concept, SportsTraider is to open at Capital Shopping Centres’ Harlequin Centre in Watford.

Two existing retailers have committing to new leases at Charter Walk in Burnley, with one doubling the size of its unit.

Specialist asset manager selected to operate Quintain's new scheme at Wembley

Land Securities has secured four more retailers at 185–221 Buchanan Street, a 155,000 sq ft development in Glasgow. The development is scheduled for retail opening in March 2013.

Value home and garden retailer, Wilkinson, will take a newly configured 22,000 sq ft unit at Edmonton Green’s North Square, on a 15 year lease.

River Island is to open a second major store in Cardiff at St David’s shopping centre, which is jointly owned by Capital Shopping Centres and Land Securities.

High Chelmer shopping centre welcomed Sweets & Sarnies to its ever evolving mix of retailers, on 13 January.

Welsh jewellery brand Clogau Gold has launched into the English outlet market with the opening of a 454 sq ft store at McArthurGlen’s Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet.

Harvey Nichols chooses Liverpool One for a new 22,000-sq ft concept store

French fashion brand, The Kooples, is to open a 1,875-sq ft boutique at Liverpool One’s Peter’s Lane before Easter

 F&C REIT Asset Management has achieved 100 per cent occupancy in Barnsley

Parisian brand The Kooples is to open a flagship outlet store at McArthurGlen’s York Designer Outlet on 21 December, in its first venture into the designer outlet retail market.

Henderson Global Investors, on behalf of two funds for its German joint venture Warburg – Henderson, has achieved a series of key lettings at its N1 shopping centre in Islington.

The Japanese-themed restaurant YO! Sushi opened at Aberdeen’s Bon Accord & St Nicholas centre on December 19, completing the shopping destination’s £8m refurbishment.

Halton Lea shopping centre in Runcorn has welcomed three new independent tenants this month.

Highcross, Leicester’s principal shopping and leisure destination, enters the Christmas season with over 12,000 sq ft of new retailers signed up to the shopping centre

The opening of Primark at The Centre, Livingston, welcomed 10,000 shoppers on its first day.

In readiness for the festive season, Standard Life Investments has wrapped up a deal with contemporary fine art retailer, Whitewall Galleries, at their new 300,000 sq ft Parkway shopping centre in Newbury.

Gifts and toys retailer secures deals in two of the largest UK shopping centres, taking permanent store numbers in the UK to 65

Victoria Square, Belfast, has welcomed footwear and accessories retailer, Dune to its extensive portfolio of over 70 stores.

Iceland Foods is to take a new store at Thorne Road Retail Park on the edge of Doncaster, after signing a new deal with landlords Perland Properties

Letting agents replace with in-house team at The Chimes, Uxbridge

Construction due on site in 2012 for 74,000-sq ft Morrisons superstore

Retailers have been snapping up units at Stockport’s Merseyway shopping centre in time for the Christmas rush, taking it to almost fully let.

Jack & Jones and Swarovski have chosen Glasgow Fort shopping park as the location for their first out of town stores

Waterside Shopping Centre has secured the first Apple franchise for Lincoln

Developer Quintain has signed Gap and Nike as the first anchor tenants for the London Designer Outlet at Wembley City

Arcadia has opening of a new top ten flagship megastore for Topshop and Topman at Lakeside, Thurrock

Salmon Harvester and LaSalle Investment Management have opened their new retail and leisure park The Loom in Leigh, near Manchester

Ravensthorpe shopping park in Ravensthorpe and Northside retail park in Leeds are both now fully let

Hush Puppies is to open its first store in Wales in St David’s, Cardiff

Home Bargains stores has signed a double deal at Realm's Freeport Fleetwood and Freeport Talke.

Henderson Global Investors, on behalf of its UK Shopping Centre Fund, has added to the retail mix at Whitefriars

Oak Furniture Land has opened a new 10,174-sq.ft. showroom at Peel ’s Straiton retail park in Edinburgh

Cath Kidston has become the latest addition to the line-up at Christopher Place, meaning the 86,179-sq ft scheme is fully let

The Ridings Shopping Centre in Wakefield has reached almost 95 per cent capacity with a series of recent letting deals

Toy retailer oens outlet stores  in Braintree, Castleford and Antrim

Henderson Global Investors' £1.1bn UK Retail Warehouse Fund has achieved a series of key lettings

Two weeks after the successful opening of Parkway, Cafe Rouge is the latest brand to open

Just two weeks after the opening of Parkway shopping centre in Newbury, which attracted almost 100,000 shoppers in its first four days trading, Standard Life Investments is adding to the tenant mix, with the latest deal from Cafe Rouge. 

Three more retailers have signed up for units at the 500,000 sq ft Trinity Walk shopping centre in Wakefield – taking a total of nearly 6,000 sq ft.

AXA Real Estate Investment Managers has secured lettings to three major retailers at its Bentley Bridge shopping park in Wolverhampton

Simply Be has taken a 5,849-sq ft unit at British Land’s 410,00-sq ft Teesside Shopping Park in Stockton-on-Tees

Primark's expansion in Scotland continues apace with the opening of two major stores in the Lothians.

The Range will be opening a new 26,000 sq ft store later this month at The Peel Centre Retail Park in Barnsley.

Di Maggio’s, Pret a Manger and Café Rouge sign for their first Aberdeen outlets at Bon Accord

Royal London Asset Management has let a newly created store at Century Retail Park in Watford to Pets at Home

Luxury jeweller Pandora is opening its largest West Midlands store outside of Birmingham at Mell Square shopping centre in Solihull.

The Avenue shopping centre in Newton Mearns, Glasgow, is fully let after securing three deals in two weeks.

Outlet specialist Ream International and Haskoll architects have unveiled plans for Denmark’s largest and only second outlet centre

Waitrose has taken 5,000 sq ft in Ipswich's Corn Exchange for its new convenience format

Spen Hill's Willow Brook Centre in Bradley Stoke, North of Bristol is 100 per cnet let after a deal with Argos

Land Securities has signed up Debenhams to open a 62,000-sq ft department store on the Ravenside Retail Park, close to the centre of Chesterfield

Legal & General Property has signed Odean as the anchor tenant for its proposed St Stephens Place leisure park in Trowbridge

Primark is adding to its 220-strong portfolio with two new stores at The Centre, Livingston and at the MetroCentre, Gateshead in the run-up to Christmas

Land Securities has let more than 7,000 sq ft of retail space to six new retailers at its Scottish shopping destination The Centre, Livingston

Wilson Bowden and Ashcroft have signed Debenhams as the first anchor store for the Marketplace Barnsley scheme due for completion in 2015

Boxpark, the much-delayed pop-up mall in Lpondon's Shoreditch, is now scheduled to open in December 2011

Legal & General Property has struck a series of key lettings in its retail parks portfolio

Aberdeen Asset Management has agreed six new lettings across it retail park portfolio.

Urban Outfitters will be opening an 11,000 sq ft unit at Meadowhall in time for Easter 2012.

Dune and Hugo Boss are the latest brands to take space at Union Square in Aberdeen.

Hot on the heels of signing M&S for a furniture & home accessories outlet, the Lowry Outlet Mall has confirmed another three signings: Media City Physio, Yankee Candles Outlet and The Harvester Restaurant

Five international brands, are to open new stores at Bluewater, totalling almost 8,500 sq ft

Liverpool One chosen for first new House of Fraser concept store in the North West

Orchard Street Investment Management has let 15,264 sq ft at Glamorgan Vale Retail Park, Llantrisant, to DFS

Chester Properties has agreed six new lettings at its Springfields Outlet in Spalding, Lincolnshire

Eleven new tenant agreements have been signed at Clydebank Shopping Centre, which now makes the scheme 95 per cent let

LaSalle Investment Management has completed two new lettings at the Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham

Lingerie retailer Boux Avenue and toy retailer The Entertainer are to open their first stores in the north east at Metrocentre.

Aberdeen Property UK Retail Parks Trust signs second tenant for its £25m Brotherhood Shopping Park in Peterborough

Stockport’s Merseyway shopping centre has enjoyed a 19 per cent rise in footfall on last year’s visitor levels, taking it to 25 per cent above the North West average.

Superdry has signed up for its 68th UK store in the Whitgift Shopping Centre in Croydon, owned by The Whitgift Trust

Standard Life Investments is continuing to add to the tenant mix at Parkway - the new 475,000-sq ft retail and residential development in Newbury – in readiness for the opening of the shopping centre on 27 October 2011

Northern Ireland's biggest retail letting of 2011follows appointment of new management team at border outlet mall

Three new retailers have signed at the 225,000-sq ft Rushes Shopping Centre in Loughborough

Two of British Land’s former Focus units, with a total area of 48,500 sq ft, have been reoccupied by Asda and B&Q.  

The top 20 malls and high streets in the UK are experiencing their best vacancy rates position for 10 years, according to figures released today by DTZ Retail at BCSC in Manchester.

St David’s shopping centre in Cardiff, owned by a joint venture between Capital Shopping Centres and Land Securities, is set to welcome The North Face, Vans and catering outlets Auntie Anne’s and BB’s.

Retailers including La Senza, Ernest Jones, Dune and Phones 4U are all increasing their space at The Trafford Centre in Manchester, following on from major store extensions for anchors Marks & Spencer and Debenhams.

Rockspring Property Investment Managers has secured Sainsbury’s as a new tenant at The Gateway, The Quadrant, Richmond. Sainsbury’s will take a 3,000 sq ft unit on the ground floor retail parade below Rockspring’s 62,000-sq ft office building

Standard Life Investments has signed three new deals at its Solihull Retail Park with B&Q, Currys and Harveys

The Mall Camberley has strengthened its retailer line-up and signed deals with mobile phone brand 3 and hairdressing chain Rush.

Danish jewellery retailer Pandora has taken two units at the Brunel Centre, Swindon and Cabot Circus, Bristol.

Meadowhall, Sheffield, has announced five new restaurant brands.

A spate of lettings have been completed at Clarendon Square shopping centre culminating with Phones 4 U signing a 10 year lease last week. This follows lettings to national retailers Pound Bakery and National Cash Advance which opened last month.

Bluewater today announced that six brands are to open stores before the autumn. 

Premium multi-brand fashion retailer Choice has opened a new flagship megastore at Capital Shopping Centres’ Lakeside

The Peacocks centre in Woking town centre has signed three new tenants

TK Maxx will open a store at Golden Square shopping centre inWarringtonat the end of September

Despite continued economic turbulence, global retail markets have rebounded strongly during the last year according to Cushman & Wakefield’s Main Streets Across the World report

Cath Kidston, the vintage-inspired lifestyle brand, has chosen Bluewater for its only non-high street or factory outlet store in the UK.

Innovative jewellery fascia ‘the boutique’ from Goldsmiths is to debut at Westfield Stratford City.

Hermes Real Estate Investment Management Limited (HREIML), has announced a new letting agreement with Marks & Spencer at its Crystal Peaks shopping centre, Sheffield.

Lingerie retail brand La Senza has boosted its offer in Capital Shopping Centres’Lakesideby opening an extended new store

Westfield Stratford City, the £1.45bn retail and leisure scheme at the gateway to the Olympic Park, is 95 per cent leased or committed in time for its opening on September 13.

Fashion brand Superdry and Apple reseller Stormfront have made their Dundee debuts at the Overgate shopping centre.

Fashion retailer, The Designer Room, has opened at the Lowry Outlet Mall.

Fashion Rocks  - the progressive fashion, music and experiential brand - is to open a major new flagship store at Westfield Stratford City this September.

Henderson UK Property Unit Trust has let three units at Hayes Bridge Retail Park to Argos, Next and Paul Simon on behalf of the New Star Property Unit Trust.

Evans Cycles is to open a 4,684-sq ft flagship in Liverpool One’sHanover Street

Land Securities has started work on a 25,000-sq ft extension at its 355,000-sq ft Lakeside Retail Parkat Thurrock, Essex, and has already signed up two new retailers for 19,000 sq ft of the scheme

The final restaurant to join Spiceal Street, the new dining destination at Bullring, will be Chao Baby.

Bicycles, outdoor gear and coffee are among a range of products on sale from Land Rover as part of its recently opened store at Royal Quays Outlet Centre in Newcastle.

US retailer to open first store in north at Trafford Centre

Superdrug, Handmade Burger Company and Barclays are the latest to sign in Wakefield scheme, which has attracted more than 2 million visitors since opening in May

Whole Foods Market to take first UK site outside London

Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed sole letting agent on Centrale shopping centre in Croydon by Hammerson. The 696,000 sq ft town-centre scheme was bought by the real estate company for £98m as part of a portfolio of six retail assets in March.

Coolway, the Spanish shoe and accessories brand, has acquired a flagship store on Oxford Street marking the retailer’s entry into the UK with further plans to expand across London.

Harvey Nichols is opening a luxury foodmarket pop-up shop at Liverpool ONE.

The LEGO Group is to open a 3,933 sq ft flagship store at Liverpool ONE in mid-August.

Music-inspired pop culture clothing store Pulp and branded fashion retailer Ark - stocking labels such as Fred Perry and Levi’s - will open this summer at Lion yard shopping centre in Cambridge.  

Henderson Global Investors, on behalf of its £1.1bn UK Retail Warehouse Fund, has secured a series of lettings at its Cheetham Hill based shopping park Manchester Fort. National chains Marks and Spencer, ShoeZone and Clintons have all agreed deals which will see them open at the site this summer.

CB Richard Ellis has been appointment as joint letting agents for the Ilac shopping centre in Dublin’s city centre. This appointment, effective from this month, represents the first major shopping centre mandate for CBRE’s newly established ‘Pan Ireland’ Retail Team.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has announced that ‘Team GB House’ will be located in a prime location, just a javelin throw away from the Olympic Park, at Westfield Stratford City.

The global market for luxury goods has emerged from the financial crisis significantly faster than expected, according to new research from Jones Lang LaSalle

Miami-based lingerie brand Baci is to launch its first UK store at St David’s Cardiff

The Entertainer, the UKs largest independent toys retailer, is to open a 5,600 sq ft store at Bluewater.

Debenhams is to open a 50, 881 sq ft store in the new Carlow Central development in Carlow town, according to developers Lexeme Retail Property Group.

Forever 21 among three new flagship deals at Lakeside

Henderson signs M&S, ShoeZone and Clintons at Manchester Fort

Aberdeen secures first letting at new 260,000-sq ft Brotherhood Shopping Park development

Hercules Unit Trust (HUT), managed by Schroders and advised by British Land, has announced that leading sofa specialist, DFS, is to open 35,000 sq ft of new stores at two of the portfolio’s key retail parks.

McArthurGlen Designer Outlets has announced the opening of two new Phase Eight stores in their Bridgend and Livingston Designer Outlets – making the Group host to the largest number of Phase Eight outlet stores in the UK.

As part of plans to attract the world’s leading fashion brands to London’s Sloane Square area, the Cadogan Estate has let a flagship store to Kate Spade New York – the US retailer’s first permanent European shop.

The Sting, the Dutch fashion retailer, has announced plans to open its second London store in Westfield Stratford, as part of its UK expansion plans

Ignis and Shearer Property Group have signed USC to take its first store in Swindon at The Parade Shopping Centre

High end multi-brand fashion retailer Choice is to upsize into a major new flagship fashion store at Capital Shopping Centres’ Lakeside, Thurrock

Value fashion retailer West Coast is to open a new store in CSC's Victoria Centre, Nottingham, after successful trading of a temporary unit there

Developer Quintain has announced a raft of restaurant signings for its London Designer Outlet at Wembley

Hobbycraft’s new concept store joins British Land owned Nugent shopping park in Orpington and The Beehive Centre in Cambridge.

Dublin’s Grafton and Henry Streets buck the trend with occupancy rates of 98.1 and 99.4 per cent respectively.

Kurt Geiger and Nine West have signed new leases at Whiteleys Shopping Centre, London, W2.

Three more retailers have signed up to take over 12,000 sq ft at Parkway Newbury, Standard Life Investments’ 475,000-sq ft mixed-use development, bringing the scheme to more than 75 per cent let by area with five months still to go until opening

University outfitter, Jack Wills has opened its first store in the West Midlands at phase one of the Caxtongate retail scheme in Birmingham city centre.

Cushman & Wakefield has been exclusively retained by Italian hosiery and beachwear retailer Calzedonia to acquire stores in London with a view to rolling-out the brand across the UK.

A selection of lettings notified to Shopping Centre during May. To provide deals information contact graham.parker@jldmedia.com

Cath Kidston is to open its first standalone shop in Wales with a store at St David’s, Cardiff

The Lanes shopping centre in Carlisle is proving an attractive destination for top retail names

Rockspring Property Investment Managers and its joint venture partner, The Other Retail Group, have secured leases with Marks & Spencer at Eastgate shopping centre in Gloucester and Wilkinsons at Howgate shopping centre in Falkirk.

London’s West End is still one of the world’s most expensive retail destinations as retailers focus on the major fashion capitals, pushing global rents in prime locations even higher, according to the latest CB Richard Ellis Global Retail MarketView

PPG has signed BHS as its new anchor tenant at Middleton Grange shopping centre in Hartlepool

WD has secured five new openings in the last eight weeks at the Royal Quays Outlet Centre in North Shields, Newcastle

Toy retailer Hawkin’s Bazaar and health and beauty retailer eCosway are to open stores in St David’s in Cardiff

Invista and Simons Developments' Carmarthen scheme now 95 per cent let

Premier Property Group (PPG) has unveiled one of the UK’s retail giants as its new anchor tenant at Middleton Grange shopping centre in Hartlepool.

With prelettings and JV partner in place, Quintain is poised to start work at Wembley

Since the recession hit, many retailers have struggled to stay afloat causing a new wave of disputes between landlords and tenants. This is creating an increased workload for the legal profession.

Gap Outlet will be opening a new 10,000 sq ft store at Peel Centre Stockport on 19 May. 

Land Securities has secured Primark to occupy a new anchor store at Westwood Cross shopping and leisure centre in Thanet, East Kent.

Metric buys two DFS sites in Inverness and Sheffield for £9.2m

Marks & Spencer and Pure Gym have signed leases totalling 38,678 sq ft at Town Centre Securities’ Urban Exchange Manchester development, leaving only one unit now available

Boots has taken approximately 1,000 sq m of space at Shipton Group’s Blackpool Retail Park in Cork at a rent of around €275 per sq m per year.

Wakefield’s Trinity Walk shopping centre opens today. The first centre to open since the economic downturn took hold is already 90 per cent let

Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin has announced that 300 new full and part time jobs will be created at the centre, bringing the employee population to 6,000.

Land Securities has signed fashion brands New Look and JD Sports at The Peel Centre in Bracknell

A selection of deals notified to Shopping Centre in April 2011

The Lowry Outlet Mall has signed two new retailers, quality homeware store Ponden Home, classic clothing brand The Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

Primark has signed up for a 90,000-sq ft store in Land Securities' million-sq ft Trinity Leeds development

King Sturge has picked up leasing and management instructions from the new owners of three shopping centres in Harrow, Harlow and Burnley.

Spanish fashion giant Mango and premium doughnut retailer Krispy Kreme have both opened their first stores in Wales at St David’s in Cardiff

Six new brands, occupying a total of 20,630 sq ft, have opened at Liverpool One, adding to its fashion and catering offer

Fashion retailers Notting Hill and Anthony & Thompson have taken new stores at The Mercury Centre in Romford

Jamie’s Italian, the successful collection of restaurants created by Jamie Oliver and his mentor Gennaro Contaldo, has taken a 6,500 sq ft unit at thecentre:mk on a 25 year lease. 

In the run up to the opening of Trinity Walk shopping centre in Wakefield on 6th May, retailers are busy signing up for the last few remaining units in the only new shopping centre due to open in the North of England this year.

Land Securities' Buchanan Street project has secured Paperchase and Gap

John Lewis is set to open an ‘at home’ store at Parkway, Newbury – the 475,000-sq ft mixed-use scheme being developed by Standard Life Investments

Focus on independent retailers pays off with increased occupancy

Hercules Unit Trust secures three new deals at Deepdale shopping park, Preston’s prime out of town shopping location

A selection of deals notified to Shopping Centre in March 2011

CWM joins the leasing team as Lakeland joins tenant line-up at the Harlequin shopping centre in Watford.

Despite a planning setback for its plans to refurbish and extend Guildford’s Friary Centre, Westfield and Hermes are making progress on revamping the centre’s tenant line-up

Parkway, Standard Life Investments’ 475,000-sq ft mixed-use scheme in Newbury is 57 per cent pre-let after three new lettings.

The Fishmongers’ Company, one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London, and Derwent London have completed a restructuring of the headlease at Morelands Building, an 80,000 sq ft office and retail complex on Old Street, London, EC1.  

The London Borough of Newham has announced that it has chosen Aspers as the winner of the competition to operate a new casino at Stratford City

Just a few weeks after purchasing Ayr Central Shopping Centre from Henry Boot for £33.8m million, new owners have signed up their first tenant, fashion retailer Bank

Representatives from some of retail property’s biggest names called for greater co-operation between stakeholders in order to face the fundamental issues affecting the industry, including competition from online sales, and an unfavourable economic climate.

Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet, the UK’s largest designer outlet, has opened the largest Marks & Spencer Outlet store in the UK

The Hercules Unit Trust has agreed ten retail warehouse lettings at Inverness and Rotherham

St David’s in Cardiff has kept up the pace of lettings with three new deals

Kiehls, Boux Avenue, Radley, Toni & Guy and Café Rouge are to open at Bluewater

A summary of the deals notified to Shopping Centre during the past month. To submit deals email graham.parker@jldmedia.com

Westfield's flagship UK mall tops worldwide portfolio

Holland & Barrett and Clarks have renewed leases in Moorfield Real Estate Fund and Plus Shops' Ridings Centre in Wakefield

Sovereign Land leases another 50,000 sq ft at Trinity Walk in Wakefield, three months ahead of opening

Argos has doubled its presence in the Clydebank Shopping Centre as the latest in a recent series of upsizing and consolidations

Hammerson has secured a 59,000 sq ft Primark store at its Queensgate Shopping Centre in Peterborough, as part of its multi-million pound repositioning strategy for the scheme.

Theo Paphitis's new lingerie chain Boux Avenue is to open one of its first UK stores at St David’s, Cardiff, at the end of March

LaSalle Investment Management creates new anchor unit at the High Chelmer Shopping Centre in Chelmsford for Primark

A summary of the deals notified to Shopping Centre during the past month. To submit deals email graham.parker@jldmedia.com

Primark is to open a flagship 74,500-sq ft store at the Metrocentre in Gateshead

H&M has been secured for a newly-created 17,000-sq ft anchor store at the Kingsgate Shopping Centre, Huddersfield

New research shows falls in high street, shopping centre and retail park rents

The Houndshill shopping centre in Blackpool has just signed up two more tenants - Virgin Media and international fashion jeweller, Pandora

Topshop will open at The Eastgate Shopping Centre in Inverness in the summer.

King Sturge points to widening gap in vacancy rates

As the 500,000-sq ft centre prepares for its Spring 2011 opening, five more retailers have signed at Trinity Walk in Wakefield

Progress on increasing the proportion of property on monthly rental terms has stalled according to The British Retail Consortium’s second annual Monthly Rents Survey.

Bijou Brigitte, the German fashion accessories brand, has opened a 1,284-sq ft store at British Land’s Eastgate shopping centre in Basildon

British Land's Meadowhall chosen by FR by Fashion Rocks for UK debut

Standard Life Investments has secured four new tenants for Gallions Reach Shopping Park in Beckton, East London.

The Bedford Estates has announced the opening of two new ‘pop up’ shops in Store Street, Bloomsbury. This follows news that the Estate plans to rejuvenate Store Street by creating an appealing and eclectic tenant mix.

The two new lettings will boost the centre’s premium quarter and help the mall on its way to becoming 100 per cent let by Christmas.

HMV and Waterstone’s are to trial a double-fascia format at Fort Kinnaird in Edinburgh

Cabot Circus, Bristol is 97 per cent let after securing ten new brands.

Research carried out by Cushman & Wakefield shows that the average availability rate of retail units across Great Britain’s top streets has fallen to 8.8 per cent, down from 9.8 per cent in August - the lowest level of retail availability recorded in the last 18 months.

Legal & General Property has pre-let three retail units on the site of a former Tesco supermarket at Faraday Retail Park, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire and has started work on site demolishing the existing building.

The Music Room, Salts Delicatessen and now Dolls Boutique are the latest signings at The Light retail and leisure scheme in Leeds

The UK remains a leading target for international retailers as they ramp up their expansion plans for 2011, according to new research by CB Richard Ellis, launched yesterday at Mapic, Cannes.

Menswear brand Blue Inc is continuing its expansion programme with another 20 new stores targeted for next year.

Hercules Unit Trust (HUT), the specialist retail warehouse fund advised by British Land and managed by Schroders, has announced a 35,647 sq ft deal with fashion brand New Look.

Amercandy, which specilalises in American confectionary, soft drinks and groceries has opened a pop-up shop at Highcross, Leicester, until the end of January.

Metric Property Investments has exchanged contracts with Carpetright on an 8,500 sq ft unit at its Airport Retail Park, Coventry. The company has also been granted planning permission for the construction of a 14,000 sq ft Lidl food store at Damolly Retail Park, Newry.

Central London specialist Capital & Counties has reported strong growth at its Covent Garden estate

Bristol mall 95 per cent let two years after opening

SOHO Coffee Co’s expansion has led to the opening of a new store at Merry Hill in Brierley Hill and a concession unit in Next at the Arndale Centre, Manchester.

JD Sports takes 6,793 sq ft for new Bank store

Land Securities has signed John Lewis to open two new ‘at home’ stores in Exeter and Chester.

Standard Life and Arcadia sign lease at BCSC conference

Capital Shopping Centres has continued to drive down voids across its UK portfolio

Retailers and property owners called for a new way of working together at the BCSC conference

New lettings as centre report 12th consecutive month of sales growth

The Ridings shopping centre in Wakefield has welcomed three new retailers totalling over 6,700 sq ft.

Westfield have announced that the retail element at Westfield Stratford City, anchored by Marks & Spencer and John Lewis, is now 75 per cent and on track for opening in September next year.

Two new lettings take mall close to full occupancy

The 365,000 sq ft Mall - managed by Capital & Regional - is anchored by M&S, Tesco and TK Maxx and will see the arrival of six community-orientated stores.

Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) has welcomed US electronics retailer Best Buy and Pets at Home to Enfield Retail Park.  

Award winning, Red Hot World Buffet and Bar is set to open its doors at The Light in Leeds on Saturday.

The Frenchgate shopping centre in Doncaster has secured German jewellery giant Bijou Brigitte and clothing brand Jack & Jones.

A host of new fashion brands have joined St David’s, Cardiff in the run up to its first anniversary on 22 October

The Old George Mall in Salisbury has announced the signing of Boston Tea Party, Fat Face and Hotel Chocolat.

Appy Feet, which offers a treatment whereby fish are used to remove dead skin from the feet, has opened its 5^th store at The Light in Leeds.

A series of new lettings has boosted a major Yorkshire Dales shopping centre.

Love coffee, which took over 13 stores from BB’s Coffee &Muffins following its administration, has opened a 1,894-sq ft store in Crystal Peaks shopping centre in Sheffield as part of a target to open 25 new stores by the end of the year.

St Modwen has signed New Look to anchor its redevelopment of Farnborough town centre

Land Securities has unveiled plans for a £15m extension at the Bridges in Sunderland

Outlet manager Realm has signed Nike to anchor Freeport Talke, its shopping centre near Stoke on Trent.

Patey Hats, De Roemer and restaurant Casa Malevo will begin trading at Hyde Park’s exclusive retail quarter Connaught Village this month.

Aberdeen Asset Management welcome Yo! Sushi and Poundland to two of their shopping centres.

F&C REIT Asset Management has let two units in Newbury Retail Park to Marks & Spencer Simply Food and Matalan, after successfully negotiating the release of former tenants Borders Books and JJB Sports.

Leading young fashion retailer, Cult, is set to open its biggest UK store at St Enoch, Glasgow, in November.

New data shows retail vacancy rates are still on the increase, and the north of the country is suffering more than the south

Thgis month's market moves

H & M has agreed terms on a new 19,000-sq ft store in Lord’s Square, The Mall, Blackburn.

Developer Quintain has unveiled detailed designs and plans for London Designer Outlet (LDO), the major retail and leisure element of its Wembley City Scheme.

The Trafford Centre in Manchester is set to welcome a variety of new and familiar retailers, totalling 9,627 sq ft of space.

Yoomoo, the luxury frozen yoghurt brand that opens its first store at Harrods this month, is to open its second at Bluewater

H & M has agreed terms on a new 19,000-sq ft store in Lord's Square, The Mall, Blackburn.

Department store operator JE Beale will open its 13th store this month at the former Westgate department store in The Exchange Shopping Centre, Rochdale

New research from the Local Data Company shows voids are still on the increase, and the picture is worse in the North of the country than in the South

Superdry is to open a store at Chapelfield shopping centre in Norwich on 16 September.

Following a successful launch in Bluewater, music and lifestyle brand Hed Kandi has chosen Liverpool One for its first store in the UK outside the South East

Six new tenants are to join Aberdeen Asset Management’s retail warehouse portfolio, totalling 83,800 sq ft of space.

Gap Outlet and Holland & Barrett are the latest signings confirmed for the Lowry Outlet Mall in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester.

Leading fashion jeweller Karine & Co. has just opened at the 70-store centre in Craigavon with mobile phone giant O2 due to open in the next few weeks.

Across the country shopping centre owners, managers and agents are turning to increasingly innovative strategies to plug gaps in their tenancy line-ups

Rent reviews are facing extinction as new research shows that average commercial lease lengths fell to their lowest ever recorded levels this year, falling by more than 10 months to just five years in 2010.

Spur Steakhouse is set to open a 3, 911 sq ft unit and Metrocentre, Gateshead, in a bid to increase the catering offer at the centre.   

Luxury shoe retailer Kurt Geiger has announced plans to open a new store at Eldon Square, Newcastle, in September.

Emmerdale actor Lucy Pargeter, who plays Chastity Dingle in the soap, posed for photographs and signed autographs at the official opening of the new Poundland store at the Newkirkgate Centre, Leith, at the weekend.

Connah’s Quay shopping centre in Ffordd Llanarth, north Wales, has signed five new retailers.

Clas Ohlson is set to open stores in two shopping centres as part of its UK expansion programme.

TJX Europe has announced it will open its first ever dual-branded store, with TK Maxx and HomeSense sharing a unit at Metrocentre, Gateshead.

Research carried out by Cushman & Wakefield shows that the average availability of retail units across Great Britain’s top streets was 9.8 per cent at 1 August 2010, down from 11.1 per cent in May.

The music-oriented fashion retailer Pulp is to open at St David’s, Cardiff.

Customers at The Mall, Norwich, can now treat themselves to a unique experience, which involves live fish nibbling away dead skin from the feet, at the newly opened Dr Spa Fish.

Music-inspired fashion retailer, Pulp, is set to open a 2,000 sq ft store at Aberdeen’s Union Square shopping centre as part of its expansion programme.

Angels, the UK’s largest and longest-established fancy dress retailer, is to open a 2,370 sq ft pop-up store at Bluewater.

The Victoria in Southend has announced the opening of three new stores set to begin trading this month.

High-end fashion brand Lipsy has announced plans to open two stores in Scottish shopping centres.

The Trinity Walk development in Wakefield has signed retailers Republic, JD, Bank, Menkind and Coral in a new wave of brands taking space at the shopping centre.

Two new names are set to open for trade at The Quays in Newry in the next few weeks.

Adventure golf course, Jungle Rumble, has taken a 17,200-sq ft themed space to complement Liverpool On's leisure offer

Curry's has agreed to surrender its lease in the Bullring to make way for the new 50,000-sq ft Forever 21 store

Land Securities and Frogmore have agreed a 141,000-sq ft pre-letting with Primark at the eastern end of London’s Oxford Street.

Capital & Counties, the central London specialist recently demerged from Liberty International, has unveiled a strong set of results for its central London portfolio, dominated by its holdings in and around Covent Garden market.

The refurbished and extended centre continues to attract big name retailers with widespread unit upgrades and several new names for the town

Land Securities has secured two new tenants at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth

A consortium led by CUSP has completed the £100m redevelopment of the K Village outlet mall in Kendal.

Two new tenants have signed at the Marble Place shopping centre in Southport.

Spanish fashion brand Desigual has chosen Liverpool One for its first store in the UK outside London

Four new retailers have leased stores at PruPIM`s Wellgate shopping centre in Dundee city centre, marking a significant upturn in letting activity at the 340,000-sq ft mall

ABERDEEN

Jones Lang LaSalle has secured three new lettings at Maltings shopping centre in St. Albans on behalf of the centre owners Boutlbee.

Branded fashion retailer USC is set to roll out its new store format at St.David's, Cardiff in October

The St Stephen’s Shopping Centre in Hull, which opened autumn 2007, is now fully let following three new additions

Lend Lease has reported a surge in lettings across its UK portfolio

Monsoon is opening a new store in the second phase of Morpeth’s Sanderson Arcade development

Five weeks before opening, five more names have been added to the tenant line up in the new K Village Outlet Shopping Centre in Kendal

Dragon's Kitchen and Costa join St David's catering line-up

British Land has completed a 43,000-sq ft triple deal with Smyths Toys as the Irish retailer expands in the North West.

LK Bennett, Phase Eight and L’Occitane are to open regional flagships at Meadowhall in Sheffield

Hollister is opening at Capital Shopping Centre’s Chapelfield shopping centre in Norwich.

The Land Securities-owned Bridges shopping centre has announced two more additions with Disney and Blue Inc taking stores.

British Land has let three stores at its Glasgow Fort Shopping Park to New Look, Poundland and Barrhead Retail.

Realm's Clarks Village outlet mall in Somerset is fully let after five new additions to its line-up of designer names.

B&M Bargains has taken one of the  largest retail units at Templars Square in Cowley, Oxford.

Fashion outlet Monsoon is the latest fashion brand to sign at the St David’s Shopping Centre in the heart of Cardiff.

Irish Life Assurance, has secured two lettings at its Nicholson Centre in Maidenhead to Poundworld and Phones 4U.

Boots is relocating from its current location on Southend’s high street, to a new 5,500-sq ft store in the Victoria Shopping Centre

CBRE Investors has combined three existing shops in its Forum Shopping Centre in Stevenage to create a new 16,000-sq ft unit for Next.

Shopping centre rents in the UK are the highest in Europe, According to new research from Jones Lang LaSalle

Rent reviews are still the biggest stumbling block to better landlord-tenant relations, a recent BPF conference found

Lettings for June 2010

UK Commercial Property Trust and Shearer Property Group have exchanged contracts with River Island for new 9,500-sq ft flagship store as part of their 80,000-sq ft development at The Parade shopping centre in Swindon.

Land Securities signed fashion brand Yumi for two outlet stores at the galleria in Hatfield and Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth.

Fashion retail group Arcadia has taken 20,000 sq ft on a ten-year lease in the new 500,000-sq ft Trinity Walk shopping centre in Wakefield.

Fashion retailer Primark has taken the 47,500-sq ft former Woolworths store at Cwmbran, South Wales.

Centros has signed up Carluccio’s for a 6,000-sq ft double unit at its arc development in Bury St Edmunds. The deal means the centre is now 95 per cent let.

Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo has exchanged contracts on a new 12,700-sq ft flagship store at Bluewater.

US fast fashion brand Forever 21 has confirmed it is to make its UK debut at the Bullring, Birmingham

Lambert Smith Hampton has secured new owners for the Leicester and Sheffield stores of the collapsed music chain Reverb, just six months after its demise.

WH Smith has become the first retailer to sign up for a unit at MediaCityUK, Peel’s new studio facility in Manchester.

Two top high street brands are to open their latest retail outlets at Cameron Toll, Edinburgh’s first out of town shopping centre. Value fashion retailer Peacocks has taken 6,000 sq ft while Costa, will open in 1,538 sq ft plus mall seating.

Multi Development and Aviva Investors have signed four new  restaurant brands at SouthGate Bath. Jimmy Spices, PizzaExpress, Caffe Nero, and Cake Café are all due to open over the coming months.

TCS Holdings has let seven units in the Merrion Centre, Leeds, bringing in new brands including Internacionale and Cardzone.

Prime retail rents in the world’s leading shopping destinations stabilised in the majority of markets, and grew in a number of major cities, in the first quarter of 2010, according to CB Richard Ellis.

Henderson Global Investors’ £1bn Retail Warehouse Fund has completed seven lettings across its portfolio.

This month's market movements

Land Securities’One New Change, the City of London’s new retail destination, is now 90 per cent pre-let or in solicitors’ hands ahead of its opening in the Autumn.

SouthGate Bath, Multi Development and Aviva's new shopping destination in the city, is now 75 per cent let following deals with Urban Outfitters, Topshop/Topman, Currys PC World, River Island, and Fat Face.

Land Securities has let two units in its £40m Willow Place shopping centre in Corby, Northamptonshire, to H&M and Burger King.

John Lewis is to open its third standalone homewares store on Invista Real Estate’s Mannington Retail Park in Swindon, to be followed by a fourth in Tunbridge Wells.

Republic is to open a new store at St David’s, Cardiff. The fashion chain’s trading success from its existing St David’s shop, has led to it upsizing into a new double-fronted 12,500-sq ft store.

The Rock in Bury, Hammerson’s 640,000-sq ft development, has signed Manchester’s first standalone Cult store, leaving the scheme over 75 per cent let.

Six months after opening its doors, White River Place can announce that it is adding to its line-up with a 26,000-sq ft TK Maxx store, which is due to open this summer.

The second phase of Southside Shopping Centre in Wandsworth is commencing with the announcement of a new 30,000-sq ft TK Maxx anchor store taken on a 15-year lease.

Westfield Stratford City, the £1.45bn gateway to London’s Olympic Park, is now 60 per cent leased or committed with around 18 months to go before its 2011 opening.

Over 32,000 sq ft of retail space has been signed up by retailers at The Rock in Bury. The new signings take the retail and leisure scheme to over three quarters let by space (exchanged and in solicitors’ hands) ahead of the launch on 16 July.

US electronics giant Best Buy has continued its assault on the UK market with a new acquisition at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol

Restaurant chain Nando's has opened its first Glasgow outlet at St Enoch Centre as part of ongoing plans to create a new civic space in the city.

Land Securities' two premier outlet malls, Gunwharf Quays and The Galleria, have attracted several new tenants in the last month.

An Irish cafe chain has signed a deal with The Outlet at Bridgewater Park, Banbridge to open its largest ever cafe at over 2,000 sq ft.

A trio of new retailers, led by Austrian crystal company Swarovski, have taken 10-year leases at Aberdeen's Bon Accord Centre. The new additions follow a string of brands that have moved into the centre after last year's refurbishment.

Jewellery wholesaler Pandora will open it's first standalone shop in Wales at St David's, Cardiff this summer.

ING Real Estate Investment Management has acquired Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich from CBRE Investors for £17.3m, reflecting a net initial yield of 5.75 per cent.

Cavern Walks shopping centre in Liverpool has been using its boutique status to attract a string of new designers, leaving only one vacancy remaining.

The Cannock Shopping Centre in Staffordshire has seen a string of lettings since GVA Grimley was appointed as LPA receiver and agent for the scheme at the beginning of the year.

Womenswear retailer East has taken the final unit at Dransfield’s Sanderson Arcade development in Morpeth as work is about to begin on the next phase.

UBS Global Asset Management has let the former Zavvi unit at Pavilions Shopping Centre in Birmingham to H&M

Almost 20 per cent of the current peak rents among retail and leisure parks were set by occupiers that went into administration between 2002 and 2010, according to Trevor Wood Associates' Definitive Guide to Retail & Leisure Parks 2010.

Gaelic Investments has unveiled plans to revitalise the troubled Crossways shopping centre in Paignton, Devon.

Shepherd Chartered Surveyors has sold a 0.5 acre site at Westway Retail Park in Arbroath to KFC. Westway Retail Park is located in a prominent position to the west of Arbroath town centre with a frontage to the main thoroughfare which provides access to and from the town. This links directly to the Arbroath/Dundee dual carriageway.

Invista Real Estate and Simons Developments have secured four more tenants for their St Catherine’s Walk shopping centre in Carmarthen, which is due to open on 30 April 2010.

Westfield has completed the dining offer at Westfield London with a string of new restaurant lettings following the launch of the centre’s Vue cinema.

Scotland's first Hollister store prompted one of Union Square's busiest shopping weekends on record, with footfall up 10,000 on the Christmas shopping weekend.

American restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday has chosen St David’s Shopping Centre in Cardiff for its first outlet in the UK and in Western Europe as a whole.

Another 81 stores are closing at clothing retailer Ethel Austin and sister company Au Naturale over the next month, with a total job loss of almost 700.

Colliers CRE’s third national retail barometer research report, which uses void rates as a key indicator, reveals there is a big and growing divergence in vacancy rates between prime and secondary shopping areas across the 15 centres in its sample.

Sales at Bluewater are up by almost double that of the UK as a whole, thanks to soaring trade during half term and weekends.

Average retail property rents declined just over 8 per cent in 2009 according to Cushman & Wakefield. But the agent is forecasting no further falls for 2010.

Prupim has thrown down the gauntlet to its rivals by allowing its retail tenants to pay rent monthly for another year

Four months after opening, Phase One of SouthGate Bath is now over 85 per cent let. Apple, O2, Game and Tommy Hilfiger are the latest retail names to sign up and all will have stores open and trading by the end of March.

thecentre:mk, Milton Keynes' regional shopping centre, has topped off a string of prominant signings by filling its new restaurant quarter: Destination Dining.

St Andrew’s Way, the new 400,000-sq ft extension at Eldon Square, was unveiled on 16 February in the heart of Newcastle city centre. The £170 million, five-year redevelopment has increase the centre to 1.3m sq ft, making it one of the largest retail destinations in the UK.

London & Stamford Property has secured Best Buy - the US consumer electronics giant which plans to enter the UK in a joint venture with Carphone Warehouse - as a new tenant at its Racecourse retail park in Aintree near Liverpool.

According to the research, unveiled at the British Property Federation Retail Summit, some town centres have one in five shops standing empty. And Kent, the Midlands and the North East are the hardest-hit regions of the UK.

Paramount among the issues under discussion was the continuing level of retailer failures and the rising tide of empty shops they leave in their wake, particularly after the Ethel Austin and Adams announcements.

Average retail property rents declined just over 8 per cent in 2009 according to Cushman & Wakefield. But the agent is forecasting no further falls for 2010.

Cross-border shoppers and a string of new lettings boosted Christmas trade at Multi Development and CRI's Victoria Square in Belfast.

Garden Park Investments' £25m Peterborough Garden Park opened with 85 per cent of the scheme's retail accommodation pre-let.

Capital Shopping Centres and Newcastle City Council today unveil St Andrew’s Way, the new 400,000-sq ft extension to Eldon Square in Newcastle. The new mall is fully let and takes Eldon Square to 1.3 million sq ft making it the largest city centre scheme in the UK.

Further evidence of the upturn in the out-of-town retail market has emerged with a string of lettings at Land Securities' parks across the country.

Shaftesbury and the Mercers’ Company have kickstarted the marketing of the 67,000-sq ft St Martin's Courtyard scheme in London’s Covent Garden with a pre-letting to Jack Wills.

Retail occupancy levels are continuing to decline, although the rate of closures has slowed, according to new research from the Local Data Company.

John Lewis is to open its second new format shop, John Lewis at home, in Croydon, south London. The 'at home' format focuses exclusively on the home sector, including electrical and home technology.

Carluccio’s has chosen St David’s, Cardiff, as the location for its first restaurant in Wales.

Food operator Nandos has chosen the recently extended St Enoch Centre to open its first Glasgow-based restaurant. Fashion retailer Xile and designer jeweller Ortak are also taking units at the 765,000-sq ft scheme.