Landmark shopping site nears its 100pc lettings target

Trinity Leeds is now 94 per cent let with a further one per cent in solicitors’ hands following the opening of 15 new units since April,

New entrants include sports and leisure retailer Adidas, jeweller Rox and American lifestyle footware retailer Skechers – all of which are new to the city. For Skechers, the Trinity Leeds store is its first outside London.

They will join brands such as Apple, Mango, Hollister, Superdry, Topshop/Topman, H&M, Next and Marks & Spencer.

Later this year upmarket US lingerie firm Victoria’s Secret will open at the centre as well as a 107,000 sq ft Primark store and Trinity Kitchen.

Land Securities’ portfolio director Gerald Jennings, said: “The transformation that Trinity has brought to the prime retail core of Leeds has been tremendous.

“We have already attracted footfall of more than seven million and the popularity of restaurants in the scheme and the Everyman Cinema has helped to extend the city’s night-time economy.”

He added that over 25 per cent of visitors come after 5.30pm.

“One of out key objectives was to extend the evening economy,” he said.

“All retailers have to trade until 8pm and the Everyman cinema and the centre’s restaurants are trading until 11, 11.30 or midnight.

“The extension of business has occurred in a powerful way.

“People are coming in after work, meeting up with their partners or friends to shop, then go to the cinema and have a bite to eat.”

Mr Jennings is hopeful that the centre will be near capacity by the all-important Christmas trading period.

“It would be nice to think that between now and Christmas we’d be close to 100 per cent,” he said.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re making good progress towards that 100 per cent, but it’s still a challenging retail environment. It’s not easy, we’re having to work hard.”

Land Securities is also investing in its White Rose Shopping Centre in the south of Leeds.

Planning permission is being sought for an extension that will bring a multi-screen cinema, four new restaurants, increased floorspace for the existing Primark and Debenhams stores and up to 1,000 new jobs. The council’s decision is expected at the end of October.

Plans include the creation of a new employee car park on a former scrapyard site to the south of the centre.

Improvement to the food offer at White Rose has begun with the opening of a 170-seater Frankie & Benny’s restaurant and later this year Handmade Burger and Prezzo restaurants will open.