intu Lakeside has signed eight new restaurants for its fast food and express casual dining offer following a £9 million investment that has seen a complete reconstruction of the upper level at intu Lakeside to deliver the highest standard in food court design. The operators have all signed leases ranging from 10 to 15 years and will open this summer.
The reconstruction follows demand for space from retail, leisure and catering operators, keen to take advantage of the 25 million annual footfall at intu Lakeside. It comes ahead of the construction of a new £100m leisure quarter, which will see the arrival of further catering names, as well as leisure uses such as family entertainment venues and health and fitness facilities.
Catering names
The catering names joining this modern design food court include the first shopping centre location for renowned Italian chef and TV personality Gino D’Acampo’s My Pasta Bar, following the initial concept opening in London’s Fleet Street last year. My Pasta Bar is a fast, casual pasta bar serving authentic Italian cuisine to the diner on the move.
US burger chain Five Guys is also set to open at intu Lakeside this summer. The Virginia based business originally launched in the 1980s but has expanded rapidly since 2003 and opened its first UK store in London’s Covent Garden in 2012.
Tortilla, the independent Californian Burritos and Tacos restaurant is opening its sixth store outside London at intu Lakeside. Started in 2007 by a Californian couple, this will be their 18th restaurant in the UK.
Harpers British Classics, which specialises in good quality, hearty homemade British food, will be opening its first unit outside of its Midlands’ heartland at intu Lakeside, and London-centric sushi and Japanese cuisine chain Wasabi has begun expanding further afield this year. These operators will be joined by Patisserie Valerie, Thai Express and Nandos.
20 strong line-up; 1,100 seats
The range of restaurants is part of a 20 strong line-up that comprises 1,100 seats in total and complements the centre’s casual dining offer in the Boardwalk, an al fresco restaurant area alongside the lake which sits adjacent to the centre.
As well as the eight new names, the remodelled food hall will incorporate existing tenants such as Ed’s Easy Diner, Taco Bell and Pizza Express, to produce an enhanced dining experience in spaces that range from 400 to 3,000 sq ft.
The enhanced offer is further complemented by the high-end 360 Champagne Bar, which sits as a centrepiece mezzanine floor beneath the food court.
Bold design look
Retail design specialists Rawls and Co have created a bold look which includes high quality finishes, intelligent light fittings which automatically adjust depending on the time of day, as well as custom made designer furniture. The extensive reconstruction has involved taking retail space and remodelling it for catering use to provide a leading catering destination.
Retail expansion to follow
In addition to the investment in the food court area and the approved plans for a new leisure quarter, intu Lakeside also received outline planning consent last year for a £180 million expansion of its retail offer, enabling it to expand retail space by a further 40 units to meet the demand from brands wanting a place in the centre. With design and aspirational brands key to the intu Lakeside customer, the centre ensures all its investments and plans feature the same high end attention to design.
About intu
intu owns and operates some of the very best shopping centres, in some of the strongest locations right across the country, including twelve of the UK’s top 25, with over 21 million sq ft of retail space, attracting over 400 million customer visits a year. More than two thirds of the UK population live within a 45 minute drive time of one of their centres.
At the forefront of UK shopping centre evolution since the 1970s, their focus is on creating compelling destinations for customers with added theatre.
Their nationwide consumer facing shopping centre brand – intu – is transforming customer experience and digital proposition, including a transactional website with a view to providing the UK’s leading shopping centre experience both on and off-line at 15 centres
Into has an investment plan of £1.2 billion over the next ten years with projects at most of the centres.
For more information click here