There was some consternation as to the choice of date. While July 4th leant itself to creative headlines, from Super Saturday to my personal favourite, ‘Sardine Saturday’, perhaps a Monday or Tuesday would have been better?

The largest independent toy retailer in the UK, The Entertainer, officially re-opened its doors on June 15th to its brand-new regional flagship store in Bullring.

As part of the £1m investment in the 9,000 sq ft store, The Entertainer has created immersive spaces for much-loved brands such as LEGO, Barbie, and Peppa Pig. Unique to Bullring, The Entertainer has also introduced its first Early Learning Centre shop-in-shop with a dedicated team of experts on hand to assist with any inquiries. Interactive areas have been introduced for customers to enjoy the wider selection of product ranges now available.

RPMI Railpen (Railpen), the investment manager for the £30bn railways pension schemes, and Wrenbridge have achieved planning consent for a 128,000 sq ft warehouse development on a 5.85-acre site in Waltham Cross, London, purchased in October 2019. The development will create six Grade A units ranging in size from 5,400 sq ft to 84,500 sq ft.

Up at The O2 has announced it will officially reopen its doors on 4th July offering a more intimate and memorable experience than ever before and with enhanced health and safety measures in place. In line with social distancing guidelines, each climb has been reduced to less than half the capacity previously in place (from 30 to 10 people), giving a more exclusive experience to visitors.

Shaftesbury has announced that 34 of Chinatown London’s F&B operators have opened to provide a critical mass of takeaway options for shoppers returning to the West End as the easing of the lockdown gathers momentum.

Federated Hermes, the global investment manager, has completed a letting with specialist pensions administrator Trafalgar House to take 5,548 sq ft of space at Ascent 4, within the Farnborough Aerospace Centre.

centre:mk, one of the UK’s top 10 shopping centres, on Monday reunited shoppers with their favourite brands as over 80 stores re-opened including Primark, Next and TK Maxx. Consumers across the country flocked to the shops, and average transaction values at centre:mk were four times higher than pre-covid levels, as footfall soared on the first day back.

CBRE Global Investors has today announced that London-based construction firm, RED, has been appointed to complete the refurbishment and reimagined Angel Central, Islington, by late November.

One of the UK’s premier family activity providers, Gravity Active Entertainment, has become the latest operator to officially sign at Time Square, the mixed-use destination in the heart of Warrington town centre.

RPMI Railpen (Railpen), the investment manager for the £30bn railways pension scheme, has acquired the commercial ground rent secured against a hotel next to Gatwick Airport. The former 185-room property is let on a 150-year lease to Axcel Hospitality Group.

A new Covent Garden Community Centre (CGCC) Food Bank initiative has been launched in Seven Dials, in collaboration with the Felix Project and Camden Council, to support vulnerable adults and families in the local area due to the effects of coronavirus.

Grosvenor Europe is preparing to reopen Liverpool ONE, following the Government’s announcement allowing all non-essential stores to re-open from 15 June. The Liverpool ONE team has been working around the clock to ensure visitors will remain safe and assured at all times upon their return.

Icon Outlet at The O2 has announced it will reopen its doors at The O2 on Monday 15 June. The re-opening of Icon Outlet is part of a phased re-opening approach for the world’s most popular music, entertainment and leisure venue…

LabTech has revealed its detailed plans to re-open Camden Market on June 1 following the government’s latest announcement on the easing of the lockdown. Implementing a phased approach, LabTech will be fully supporting its tenants as they return their businesses back to the new reality. This includes an extension of the rent-free period for all traders LabTech introduced three months ago.

Deliveroo convenes legal, property and restaurant industry specialists to help the restaurant sector navigate the challenges facing the sector, including practical considerations with rent negotiations and lease restructuring…

Shaftesbury has announced a village-wide programme of initiatives to provide support for consumers, residents and operators during coronavirus. Reflecting the unique nature of its West End portfolio, Shaftesbury is bringing-to-life virtually Chinatown, Seven Dials and Carnaby with a programme of unique digital content created by tenants to entertain, educate and inform people while they remain unable to visit the villages in person.

Grosvenor Europe has announced the signing of Maggie Fu, a Liverpool-based independent Asian street food restaurant, for a 4,700 sq ft unit on Liverpool ONE’s Hanover Street.  The new restaurant will be Maggie Fu’s second and serve as its flagship. 

CACI, the consumer and location intelligence specialist, has identified ten ways in which consumer outlook and behaviour has changed as a consequence of Covid-19 and the lockdown.  According to the findings, there have been significant step changes across every aspect of the British consumer’s life with a new ‘safety-first consumer’ mindset emerging

Today, The London Restaurant Co-operative has announced it has delivered over 9,000 meals to the NHS. The not-for-profit social kitchen was launched by Maison Bab and Le Bab co-founders, Stephen Tozer and Ed Brunet at the end of March.

Some of the most successful names in business have banded together to offer free CEO to CEO mentoring, coaching and advice for companies in the UK and Ireland affected by the Covid-19 crisis. The All Together mentoring initiative has drawn a top-level team of 100 well known, cross-sector CEOs, chair-people and investors all offering their help, expertise and an empathetic ear on a voluntary basis.