Sun European Partners has bought Bonmarché from the administrators, KPMG. It plans to retain 230 stores, but 160 will be closed

The Co-op is expanding its reach in the food sector, with an emphasis on quality and convenience, and it is hungry for new sites

Lowry Outlet Mall has announced that sales at its Plaza restaurants are up by 13 per cent year-on-year without factoring in sales from the Mall’s latest signing, the Harvester Restaurant.

Like-for-like sales up 2.2 per cent on December 2010

JD Sports Fashion buys Blacks from administrators but warns of store closures

Troubled retail group Blacks Leisure has announced that it plans to go into pre-pack administration as part of a sale of the business

BDO negotiates sale of 20 stores from stricken D2 portfolio to rival fashion brand

Despite the downturn retailers are continuing to experiment, and both Foot Locker and River Island have launched new formats

Hammerson’s portfolio of prime shopping centres saw a 6 per cent surge in footfall in the post-Christmas period

Next and John Lewis both saw a surge in online sales in the run-up to Christmas against subdued in-store sales

New research forecasts more retailer failures after La Senza, Hawkins Bazaar, D2 Jeans and Past Times announced store closures before Christmas

New entrant to retail banking market looks to double branch portfolio

Grinch landlords could give troubled retailers the Boxing Day blues

191-strong shoe chain collapses after weak autumn sales

New data shows November sales down year-on-year

The 5.6 per cent uplift in business rates confirmed today by the Department for Communities and Local Government will see retailers hit by additional costs of £350m next year, according to the British Retail Consortium

Land Securities' Brand Empire deal terminated with the closure of eight UK stores

Victoria Centre in Nottingham selected for first new-format store

New restaurant quarter opens at Bullring Shopping Centre in Birmingham

Brent Cross Shopping Centre has secured the first Locker Room outlet, a new store concept from Foot Locker

A surge in disputes over restrictive covenants has been fuelled by the increase in empty space

Bluewater opened the Plaza, the new dining destination, with Wahaca co-founder and Masterchef winner, Thomasina Miers, on Friday.

Best Buy Europe, the joint venture between Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy, is to close all 11 of its UK 'Big Box' trial stores

Hammerson has appointed niche retail and restaurant agency Bruce Gillingham Pollard (BGP) for its catering remit on six shopping centres in its retail portfolio.

UK's leading nightclub operator placed in administration

The new RPI inflation figure threatens to produce a £350m business rates increase for retailers next April.

Portuguese fashion brand targets the UK for expansion

Shop. Eat. Live.

Burger King United Kingdom has secured a number of new sites, including an 800-sq ft food court unit in The Trafford Centre, and a 3,000-sq ft in-line unit in County Square in Ashford, Kent.

In the latest chapter of its Retail 2020 research, Jones Lang LaSalle warns that up to 30 per cent of retail space in developed markets is potentially obsolete in its current form

Portuguese fashion brand to open three new stores ahead of wider rollout

Deal aims to strengthen CBRE's retail offer through focus on luxury sector and strength in tenant representation

Construction due to start on site on 77-bed Travelodge hotel and two restaurant units 

Bluewater reveals the brand line-up in the new Plaza dining destination to open this November

Waitrose is re-opening its largest branch at Canary Wharf after a £15m investment that will see the flagship store expanded to 74,000 sq ft

Retailers and food manufacturers are funding research in an effort to meet challenging targets to reduce levels of salt in food. The work is being commissioned by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

Online grocer Ocado has hit the high street with an innovative new 'virtual’ pop-up shop at the City of London’s One New Change.

Many small firms operating in the retail sector believe that the current difficulties they face will get worse – not better – as the year progresses.

British Land has doubled the catering offer at Giltbrook Retail Park, Nottingham, with the introduction of Pizza Express and Nando’s.

The pan-Asian noodle bar chain has received a new injection of capital and it is planning to step up its store acquisition programme.

Mini department store to be created by adding fashion to existing 'at Home' format

Pod, the UK’s fastest growing healthy fast food chain, has continued its expansion in Central London with the opening of three new stores, and has confirmed its plans to accelerate expansion across the city and outside London in 2011 and 2012.

The rate of poor results, profit warnings and administrations gathered pace in Q2, according to DTZ’s latest Property Times report for the UK Retail Market. However, although the current environment is contributing to the demise of some retailers, it also offers opportunities for surviving firms who are prepared to adjust and adapt.

Chocolate retailer Thorntons has become the latest retailer to admit it is struggling. It is to close up to 180 stores

New data shows online activity drives shoppers to JLP stores

Bexleyheath, Southport, Blackpool, Wigan and Maidstone are among the most vulnerable centres according to CACI research

BRC chairman Luke Mayhew says large retailers are a “catalyst” for town centres

Experian Footfall reports slowdown in consumer traffic

May 2011 saw like-for-like  sales down 2.1 per cent and total sales down 0.3 per cent

Westfield Stratford City has signed a collection of food operators three months ahead of opening

Administrators call time on troubled DIY brand

Shoppers are intending to cook more from scratch and grow their own fruit and vegetables in the year ahead, according to the latest IGD ShopperTrack research published on Monday.

GO Outdoors, the UK’s largest outdoor retailer, has launched its new flagship superstore at Town Centre Securities’ Urban Exchange retail scheme in Manchester.

Customer service can’t be done by numbers, finds Howard Morgan, after a poor onion soup and an even poorer response from the restaurateur.

The latest statistics from the Insolvency Service have shown a substantial rise in the number of retail CVAs and administrations for the first quarter of 2011

Physical stores remain an integral part of the retail sales mix despite the growth of online retailing, according to the 2011 edition of CB Richard Ellis’s How Global is the Business of Retail?

Consumer behaviour analyst Experian FootFall anticipates that the bank holiday bonanza - incorporating the Easter weekend, royal wedding and May Day - will lead to mixed performances in shopper footfall numbers.

A £7m transformation has begun of the Oasis food court at Meadowhall, Sheffield, with works, due to be completed by October 2011, creating a sleek and contemporary 61,000 ft Dining Quarter.

One of Britain’s best known designers, Jeff Banks – who has been in the fashion industry for 40 years - surprised staff and shoppers on Saturday when he made an appearance at Lakeside Village.

Landlords and retailers will need to work together to minimise the impact of
multi-channel retail, according to new research from Deloitte

With shop vacancies rising inexorably, could charity shops help plug the gap?

US designer Eileen Fisher is to launch her brand in Europe with two London stores ahead of a wider roll-out

EasyGym, the new fitness club concept from Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, will open in two shopping centres this summer after signing a deal with Virgin Active.

GO Outdoors, the UK’s largest outdoor retailer, has launched its new flagship superstore at Manchester's Urban Exchange scheme

Administrators have been appointed at the troubled wine retailer, Oddbins

The launch of Boux Avenue, Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Theo Paphitis’s new lingerie brand, took place last night at Sketch, Mayfair, ahead of the opening of the first flush of stores in six shopping centres between tomorrow and April 8th.

Value retailers and mobile phone operators are staking a claim to prime shopping strips across the country

McArthurGlen’s Livingston Designer Outlet - Scotland’s largest designer outlet - has introduced for the first time a new cluster of youth and lifestyle brands.

After a strong set of results, Next is on the lookout for more new stores

The 2011 budget has received a cautious welcome from retail and property industry bodies

The second Taco Bell café to open in the UK is up and running at Eastgate shopping centre in Basildon, Essex.

Images have been released giving people a glimpse of what the south side of New Street station, Birmingham, will look like when John Lewis opens at the site in 2014.

Criterion Capital has granted a new lease for the former Rex Club in London’s Trocadero to KPIP which plans a new high-end bar/restaurant concept

Boots is planning a new store featuring a drive-thru pharmacy at British Land's St James Retail Park in Northampton

With the US-based Victoria’s Secret due to make its UK debut in 2012, the lingerie market is due for a shake-up. And industry veteran Theo Paphitis has moved to steal a march on his US rival with the nationwide launch of his own brand, Boux Avenue.

Touchwood is reporting its 16^th consecutive month of sales growth on a like-for-like basis, with sales in January up 6.6 per cent. 

New research by The Local Data Company has found that town centre vacancy rates in Great Britain have risen from a national average of 13 per cent at the end of June 2010 to 14.5 per cent in early 2011.

The BCSC has published its Guide to Retail Delivery - intended for use by landlords, tenants, agents and centre management teams – which seeks to make a tenant’s move into a shopping centre as smooth as possible.

Over the past 20 years retail has become the defining force in shaping the UK's towns and cities, writes Sean Kelly

Government statistics show retailer insolvencies slowed in the final quarter of 2010, but the rate could rise again

Small and independent retailers benefit from greater access to shoppers and increased footfall when they operate within shopping centres, according to Peter Wilhelm of the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) Europe Public Affairs Committee.

Following a BBC report which found that Yorkshire, the North East and North West have the highest vacancy rates in the UK at around 17 and 18 per cent for all three regions, centre managers and retailers are being urged to look locally for rate review opportunities.

The retail sector is the second biggest culprit of bad customer service according to a survey by YouGov.

Starbucks and Caffe Nero open at British Land-operated out-of-town sites

Menswear brand Blue Inc has been expanding rapidly since it was acquired by Marlow Retail five years ago, and the retailer is on the acquisition trail again with 20 new stores

Shaftesbury has completed the catering line-up at its St Martin’s Courtyard development in Covent Garden with new Thai concept SUDA

Aberdeen Asset Management has added two new restaurants to its Two Rivers Shopping Centre

Catering in shopping centres has grown considerably in recent years with managers realising the potential impact that a diverse food offer can have on shopper dwell times

Capital & Regional and Aviva Investors have launched an entrepreneurship competition this week at each of The Mall Fund’s community shopping centres.

Henderson Global Investors and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) have appointed MMX Retail as the new joint agents on Whitefriars, the open-air retail scheme in Canterbury city centre, which they purchased from Land Securities in 2008. MMX will be replacing Cushman & Wakefield and working alongside McMullen Wilson.

Bluewater has launched the ‘Smile Goes a Mile’ campaign, which aims to highlight the benefits of smiling in delivering outstanding customer satisfaction and a positive working background.

Snow on the last Saturday before Christmas decimated shopping, with footfall down by 24.3 per cent against the same Saturday of 2009, according to Synovate’s Retail Traffic Index.

Coverpoint’s Jonathan Doughty serves up his regular shopping centre foodservice review. This month he visits Barbecoa at London’s One New Change.

Gold buying has been a feature of malls for several years now. But The Scoin Shop is turning the concept on its head by selling gold coins as an investment

The Miss Sixty case shocked the property industry into fighting unfairness in insolvency practices, but it’s not yet clear how future CVAs will be framed.

Retailers face a huge hike in business rates next year because the Government has ignored the inndustry's calls to move to a fairer and more predictable system for calculating rates bills.

Restaurant operator D&D London has signed for two restaurants at Land Securities' Trinity Leeds

Latest BRC/KPMG data shows bad weather hit retail sales in late November

A survey of 2,700 UK consumers by RetailEyes found that almost one in five people will leave Christmas shopping until the final week before Christmas.

A year ago this month Land Securities and Capital Shopping Centres unveiled their extended St David’s shopping centre in Cardiff. Opening a million sq ft of retail space while the country was still in recession was never going to be easy. But a year on the picture is very different.

A new initiative from RealService aims to improve occupiers’ perception of the property management profession.

Westfield is to incorporate a food market into its 2 million-sq ft Stratford City project

Land Securities has unveiled its City of London retail and office development One New Change with a host of music and events. 

Land Securities is rolling out new frozen yoghurt brand Yoomoo across its UK malls

Giraffe, Ask and Pret a Manger are the latest catering brands to sign at Lend Lease’s Touchwood shopping centre in Solihull

Coverpoint’s Jonathan Doughty serves up his regular shopping centre foodservice review. This month he returns to Westfield London to try the new Roast kiosk

Womenswear store to trade from smaller  footprint

UK retail sales values in September 2010 were up 0.5 per cent on a like-for-like basis from September 2009. On a total basis, sales were up 2.2 per cent.

The Experian UK FootFall National Index for September 2010 saw a 0.9 per cent rise compared to the same period last year and a month-on-month decline of 1.6 per cent compared with August 2010.

Retailers face a shock when they receive their 2011 rates bills in April next year, after stubbornly high inflation this autumn pushed up the level of fixed increases.

Mermaid Quay, the leisure and retail destination located on Cardiff’s Waterfront, has enhanced its tenant mix with three new lettings

DIY and household goods retailer, Wilkinson, has unveiled plans to grow its estate by 40 per cent over the next three years with a requirement for 140 new stores

Cosy Camper has been a fixture on the music festival scene for 15 years, and now it is trading from shopping centres

Most of the world’s top retail locations have remained resilient during the last twelve months, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield.

The BRC is worried that the current system for calculating business rates threatens a double-blow for retailers at a time when the public sector is facing substantial cuts.  

New brand emerges from ashes of troubled accessories retailer

House of Fraser is to undertake a £5m refurbishment of its Meadowhall store, creating a regional flagship and introducing a significant number of new concessions

Two landmark court cases threaten to wipe out Company Voluntary Arrangements for good. Mia Hunt outlines the significance of the Mourant vs Sixty SPA ruling

Hammerson chief executive David Atkins is leading a radical restructuring of the company, with a pledge to put occupiers’ interests at the heart of the business

Coverpoint’s managing director Jonathan Doughty serves up his regular shopping centre foodservice review. This month he visits a new start-up, Lunya at Liverpool One.

The Experian UK FootFall National Index for July 2010 saw a 4.2 per cent month-on-month uplift. Although such an increase had been anticipated due to the annual school summer breaks and summer sales, it was less marked than the month-on-month increase for the same time last year.

Clas Ohlson is to open stores in Chapelfield Norwich and St David's in Cardiff

The Overgate shopping centre in Dundee has announced sales growth for the 15^th consecutive month

Gavin McKechnie has been appointed by Network Rail as head of retail in the property division and will focus on the enhancement and expansion of the retail estate at some of Britain’s busiest stations, including King’s Cross, Waterloo and Birmingham New Street.

Bluewater has reported its sixth consecutive month of sales growth, following an increase of 4.2 per cent in July compared to the same time last year, out-performing BRC-KPMG figures which recorded a 2.6 per cent national increase.

Retail sales growth slowed dramatically in July according to the BRC/KPMG Retail Sales Monitor

Outdoor clothing specialist Trespass is planning a nationwide expansion which could see it open 100 new stores in the next two years.

Red Hot World Buffet, the East Midlands-based fast-casual dining concept, is to make its Yorkshire debut this summer at The Light, Leeds,

Luxury goods retailers have been found to be the most expansive in the whole retail sector, making up 23 per cent of new store openings during the past year, according to CB Richard Ellis.

Greggs the Bakers has secured a dozen properties across the North West as part of a major acquisition programme that will see it open 90 shops nationwide in 2010.

January rise in VAT will hit consumer confidence, warns JLL

The BRC/KPMG Retail Sales Monitor showed an improving picture in June 2010.

Coverpoint's Jonathan Doughty serves up his regular shopping centre foodservice review. This month he visits Taco Bell at Lakeside, Thurrock.

Life & Style, the new fashion and homewares brand that has risen from the ashes of Ethel Austin and Internacionale, has unveiled plans to double its portfolio up to 200 plus stores over the next few years.

The nature of shopping centre foodservice is changing, and thecentre:mk is the latest centre to upgrade its catering offer with Destination Dining, a new £10m restaurant quarter completing the centre’s refurbishment

Coverpoint’s Jonathan Doughty serves up his regular shopping centre foodservice review. This month he visits The Real Greek at Westfield London

Building product and tool retailer Toolstation is growing fast with 24 deals in the pipeline.

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.

UK retail sales values rose 0.8 per cent on a like-for-like basis from May 2009, when sales had fallen 0.8 per cent. On a total basis, sales were up 3.0 per cent against a 0.8 per cent increase in May 2009.

Retail sales could suffer as a result of the football World Cup according to new research from King Sturge.

Charles Tyrwhitt, Britain’s biggest mail order shirt company, has unveiled plans to heighten its presence on the high street by opening as many as 50 stores across the country.

As the Apple iPad arrives in the UK, new figures from The Local Data Company show UK mobile phone shops are among the most acquisitive retail sectors. The number of stores grew 12.5 per cent over the past year.

Footfall rose 1.6 per cent in April compared with the same time last year, while May Bank Holiday saw a year-on-year rise of nearly 5 per cent.

The Tie Rack Retail Group has launched a new retail format in the UK with Kathy Van Zeeland bags making its UK debut at the he Whitgift shopping centre in Croydon.

The UK has maintained its position as the world’s most international retail market, according to CBRE. Attracting 58 per cent of all international retail brands surveyed, the UK is now closely followed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where 54 per cent of international retailers are present.

Many of central London’s top retailers are mounting a campaign to relax Sunday trading laws to allow the Christmas Sales to start on Boxing Day, which this year falls on a Sunday.

Despite an increasingly competitive market, retailers are lagging far behind other sectors in offering enhancements or add-ons such as insurance or complimentary items.

Metro Bank, Britain’s first high street bank to be granted a full-service banking license in more than 150 years, has started putting together its branch network with four acquisitions in London.

Two months ago, Shopping Centre started a debate on relaxing the Sunday trading laws. Now many of central London’s top retailers are mounting a campaign to relax Sunday trading laws to allow the Christmas Sales to start on Boxing Day, which this year falls on a Sunday.

Coverpoint’s Jonathan Doughty serves up his regular shopping centre foodservice review. This month he visits Ed’s Easy Diner at London’s Euston Station

UK retail sales values rose 4.4 per cent on a like-for-like basis from March 2009, when sales had dropped 1.2 per cent. Good Friday and Easter Saturday fell in the March trading period this year but in last year fell in April, which boosted the year-on-year comparison. On a total basis, sales rose 6.6 per cent against only 0.6 per cent growth in March 2009.

Retail administrations are down 65 per cent year on year according to research by Deloitte.

The Experian FootFall UK National Index for March 2010 up until the end of Easter weekend revealed a year-on-year positive performance of 1.0 per cent and a modest month-on-month uplift of 0.1 per cent.

Central London retailers are mounting a campaign to relax Sunday trading laws to allow the Christmas Sales to start on Boxing Day, which this year falls on a Sunday.

2010 could be the best year of the cycle for current vendors of leisure assets to sell as a result of a wider than usual spectrum of buyers entering the market, according to the latest commercial leisure bulletin from Savills.

The 2010 Rating List came into effect at the beginning of April with new valuations for all business and non-domestic property in England, Scotland and Wales as determined by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and Assessor in Scotland.

As a string of property tax increases come into affect this month, experts in the retail industry warn that millions of UK jobs could be at risk.

Land Securities’ independent subsidiary Brand Empire has signed its fourth international brand for expansion into the UK market. Leading Israeli cosmetic company Laline will open its first full range store this summer.

Waitrose is to trial its new convenience store format in Cambridge, taking 3,000 sq ft at 6-8 Fitzroy Street, on a 15-year lease from Invista Real Estate Investment Management.

Next is on the acquisition trail again with a requirement for a dozen new Home stores in the current financial year.

Next unveiled an improved set of results with pre-tax profit up 18 per cent to £505m on turnover of £3.406bn in the 12 months to January 2010. And after a long period of decline like-for-like sales turned positive again with 0.5 per cent growth over the year.

Small shops will benefit from the Chancellor’s “welcome” reduction in business rates, but worries have surfaced over the lack of support for established retailers.

Sainsbury's is stepping up its growth plans and plans to increase its estate by 15 per cent over the next two years.

Last month, Trafford Centre operations director Gordon McKinnon stoked the fires of controversy over Sunday trading once again. Where does the debate stand now?

Jonathan Doughty serves up his regular shopping centre foodservice review. This month he visits Piazza by Anthony in the Corn Exchange, Leeds.

On the back of sharply increased turnover in the UK, Deichmann Shoes has announced plans to open ten UK stores in 2010, twice the number it opened in 2009.

Gordon McKinnon, director of operations at Manchester's Trafford Centre, questions the relevance of Sunday Trading laws when retailers need all the sales they can get.

Retailers are losing out on customer loyalty by using complicated and unclear returns policies for goods bought online.

Despite the spate of retailer administrations, the number of shop branches run by multiples in the UK continues to grow, according to new research from CBRE.

Coverpoint's Jonathan Doughty serves up his monthly shopping centre catering review. This month he visits Napoli in the new Eat Central at Westfield Merry Hill.

thecentre:mk’s new restaurant quarter, Destination Dining, is now fully let as Carluccio’s and Yo Sushi take the remaining 9,000 sq ft.

On the back of sharply increased turnover in the UK, Deichmann Shoes has announced plans to open 10 UK stores in 2010, twice the number it opened in 2009.

The number of pound shops on the UK’s high streets has almost doubled in the last 10 years, reflecting the broadening appeal of budget shopping, according to new research from Experian.

The global recession has barely dented the pace of growth at the sandwich franchise business Subway, according to head of real estate John Devine.

Land Securities, through its subsidiary Brand Empire, has struck a deal with the Spanish fashion giant Grupo Cortefiel to bring three of its core brands to the UK.

Domino's Pizza has increased its store openings target for 2010 to 55 per year after unveiling sharply increased profits.

The £995m purchase of Pets at Home by private equity investor Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is expected to lead to a new wave of store openings by the pet retailer.

An impending ‘oil crunch’ threatens the retail sector with rising costs of production and higher prices for consumers, according to an industry taskforce.

Discount clothing chain Ethel Austin and its sister firm Au Naturale went into administration today, putting over 3,700 jobs at risk.

Multi-brand fashion retailer Republic has announced plans to open a further 12 stores in 2010, including a strategic move into the Irish market, as part of a strategy to double turnover in the next three years.

Jonathan Doughty serves up his monthly shopping centre catering review. This month he visits Aiso at MyZeil in Frankfurt.

QS was once a Marks & Spencer manufacturer that sold surplus stock and seconds under the Quality Seconds fascia. But by the 1990s retailing had become its main activity with a nationwide portfolio trading from mainly secondary locations.

Blacks Leisure, the specialist retailer in outdoor clothing and equipment, has announced plans to expand despite recently shedding a number of loss-making stores.

Westfield’s £24m foodcourt development opened on 22 October at Merry Hill shopping centre in the West Midlands. Eat Central boasts a range of national and international retailers including Nandos, Pizza Express and Napoli, and has created 200 permanent jobs in the area.

The Oracle in Reading celebrated its 10^th anniversary at the end of September 2009. In those 10 years, it has established itself and Reading as the regional shopping and leisure destination in the Thames Valley. Its design and configuration has enabled it to become the heart of Reading City Centre, with its linkage to Broad Street, and the clustering of substantial food and leisure on both sides of the River Kennet.

Coverpoint’s Jonathan Doughty serves up his regular shopping centre catering review. This month he visits Memsaab at Highcross Leicester

Coverpoint’s Jonathan Doughty serves up his regular shopping centre catering review. This month he visits Chaophraya at Liverpool One.

Coverpoint’s Jonathan Doughty serves up his regular shopping centre catering review. This month he visits Patisserie Valerie at the Mall at Cribbs Causeway.

Manchester’s Lowry outlet mall has reported an 8 per cent rise in footfall and a 7 per cent rise in like-for-like sales in the year to May 2009. Centre manager Robert Hallworth said: “The Lowry Outlet Mall has performed way above expectations for May. The success has been down to strong, targeted marketing to really drive footfall as well as adding another great brand – Bella Italia – to our offering.”

This month, Coverpoint's Jonathan Doughty visits the new St Pancras Grand brasserie at London’s St Pancras International station.

Coverpoint’s Jonathan Doughty serves up his regular shopping centre foodservice review. This month he visits the Meat & Wine Co at Westfield London.

For years Bristol city centre has languished behind other cities in the UK, but with the opening of Cabot Circus, The Bristol Alliance has, at a stroke, created a vibrant and compelling retail and foodservice heart to the city.

As ever we aim to bring you up to the minute news, and this month Food Feedback comes from Leicester. On 4 September 2008, Highcross opened and the Showcase Cinema De Lux also previewed its new offer to the city.

Whiteleys has seen numerous changes over the last 20 years, since the building opened as a shopping centre in 1989, not least the foodservice offer. The last year has seen the opening of Rowley Leigh's acclaimed Le Café Anglais at Level 2 of the centre, in addition to the existing offers including Yo! Sushi, Café Rouge, ASK and Bella Italia, all supporting, and supported by, the Odeon cinema.

Located in the heart of Essen, Germany, the first phase of the Limbecker Platz shopping centre opened its doors in March, providing over 100 retail and foodservice units in a three-storey covered mall. Phase 2 of the development, due for completion in autumn 2009, will see the number of stores doubled, and will take the GLA to over 70,000 sq m once fully open.

With success in Asia and the United States under its belt, Japanese-owned specialist bakery franchise Beard Papa is set to take the UK by storm.

With its stylish and sophisticated boulevard, acres of glazing, exposed brickwork and quality mix of retail and foodservice offers, thoughts of the Victoria Quarter, Leeds or Hays Galleria come to mind. It's only the departure signs for Paris Nord and Brussels that confirm that this is St Pancras International, the new multi-million pound home to Eurostar. And what a home it is!

Having started life on the high street, Giraffe decided a couple of years ago to bring its family-friendly restaurant concept to the shopping centre environment. But instead of replicating its high-street menu, the restaurant chain has enjoyed huge success with a menu designed specifically for fast-paced shopping centre clientele.

So it's fare thee well to all my loyal readers, Sid & Doris Bonkers.

For all the talk of hoody bans, young teenagers are an important demographic for shopping centres, not only because this is the age when they first shop on their own, and form preferences that can last a lifetime, but because they can influence where a family chooses to shop.

Spring signals the start of a pipeline of new shopping centres due to open in 2008. One of these, Eden in High Wycombe, is an 850,000-sq ft development encompassing the existing Octagon shopping centre, and is anchored by Marks & Spencer and House of Fraser. The Multiplex development, officially opened in March 2008, is not yet fully open, with some tenants still fitting out.

A decade ago the idea of going out to dinner at your local shopping centre would have been both unappetising and an impossibility, considering most centres offered a food court set-up which closed by 6pm.

Terminal 5 has only been open for two weeks and has received more publicity than either British Airways or BAA could have possibly imagined, sadly, none of it positive.

On a recent trip into Leeds, in between meetings, I was in need of something quick, healthy and most of all different, so I stopped by Bagel Nash in The Light. The Light is a leisure and fashion destination in Leeds city centre, and its foodservice combines national brands such as Browns, Nandos and Starbucks with local brands such as Brio, Maxi's and Bagel Nash. It is typical of modern developer thinking to incorporate a local flavour into the foodservice mix as a way of avoiding fascia fatigue.

Westfield has unveiled the first signings in what will ultimately be a collection of over 50 food operators within the £1.6bn Westfield London development which opens later this year.

Crest Nicholson Regeneration and Standard Life Investments have let two more units at The Atrium, their £130m mixed-use development in Camberley, Surrey.