Slim Chickens swoops in and lands a regional site at St David's
The St David’s Partnership, owners of St David’s in Cardiff, one of the UK’s premier retail and leisure destinations, has today announced Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) has secured its first franchised restaurant outside of London for fast-casual American brand, Slim Chickens.
The new 2,400 sq ft restaurant at St David’s is Slim Chickens’ second UK location, joining London’s Bond Street. Located on the Lower Eastside Arcade and adjacent to Ed’s Easy Diner, it will benefit from the centre’s bustling ground floor dining area. The interior, designed by an in-house team will feature digital ordering kiosks and a self-serve refillable drinks station. With space for 76 covers inside and 16 outside, the brand’s full menu, including their signature fresh, buttermilk marinated, hand-breaded and cooked to order chicken tenders will be available in a casual, sociable setting. Slim Chickens has experienced considerable growth in America, with over 80 locations across the continent.
Neighbouring the new Slim Chickens site is Ed’s Easy Diner, who will be upsizing their St David’s restaurant. Both are due to launch before Christmas.
Speaking on behalf of the St David’s Partnership, a joint venture between Landsec and intu, Colin Flinn, regional managing director - west, said: “Slim Chickens is a fantastic new addition to the fast-casual offer available at St David’s. The brand’s choice to open their first regional UK restaurant at the centre displays our consistency in attracting leading brands wanting to expand their presence outside of London. Slim Chickens and the larger Ed’s Easy Diner, both join a string of brands making their Welsh debut at St David’s this year, including Stradivarius, Daniel Wellington and Bershka which is due to open later this year. This letting marks the appeal of St David’s as a key destination for brands to launch, grow and take advantage of the demand for an increased leisure offer.”
Tom Crowley, CEO of BRG, added: “We are hugely eager to share our quality handmade food, backed by our focused hospitality service and social environment, to our new customer base in Cardiff. As we see consistent growth in the fast-casual sector, we have big ambitions to realise the same success in the UK as we have in America. Situated in the heart of one of the UK’s principal cities, St David’s is the obvious choice for our first site outside of London and has an impressive catchment that we simply didn’t want to miss out on.”
This new signing follows a successful September for restaurant sales at St David’s, with the centre seeing a double-digit increase in the dining sector for the month. This also follows the recent announcement that international fashion label, Bershka, will make its regional debut at St David’s.
The St David’s Partnership dealt directly and Slim Chickens and Ed’s Easy Diner represented themselves.
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Nick Thornton at Aver on 07808 940208, or via email at nickthornton@aver.uk.com
Amy Cassidy at Aver on 07786 025417, or via email at amycassidy@aver.uk.com
About St David’s Cardiff
St David’s shopping centre provides over 1.4 million sq ft of retail and leisure space and over 180 stores. Since opening its doors in 2009, it has put Cardiff firmly on the map as one of the UK’s best shopping cities and has an annual footfall of 38 million; one of the largest in the UK.
St David’s has secured a continuous stream of high calibre retailer and restaurant openings over the past five years, including many brands that have made their debut or introduced new concept stores into Wales such as Superdry opening its first dedicated Superdry Sports entrance in the UK. Recent brands also include Stradivarius, Big Moose Café, CK Underwear, Virgin Holidays and Oliver Bonas.
St David’s is anchored by Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and the largest John Lewis outside of London. The centre is also home to a mix of national and international retailers, such as Primark and River Island, in addition to premium brands and independents. These include Hugo Boss, Radley, Vivienne Westwood and Jo Malone. The dining offer at St David’s is equally impressive, with brands such as Wahaca and wagamama.
www.stdavidscardiff.com
About intu
intu owns and manages some of the best shopping centres, in some of the strongest locations, in the UK and Spain.
Our UK portfolio is made up of 17 centres, including eight of the top-20, and in Spain we own three of the country's top-10 centres.
We are passionate about creating compelling experiences, in centre and online, that make our customers smile and help our retailers flourish.
We attract over 400 million customer visits and over 25 million website visits a year offering a multichannel approach that truly supports retail strategies. In 2017, we launched the UK's first tailor-made promotional services model to help brands as they look to optimise their portfolio or expand their UK coverage.
Our strategic focus on prime, high-footfall flagship destinations, combined with the strength and popularity of our brand, means that intu offers enhanced footfall, dwell time and loyalty. This helps our retailers flourish, driving occupancy and income growth.
We are committed to our local communities, with our centres supporting over 120,000 jobs (representing about 3 per cent of the total UK retail workforce), and to operating with environmental responsibility. We have already met or exceeded a significant number of our 2020 environmental targets.
intugroup.co.uk
@intugroup
About Landsec
At Landsec, we believe great places are for people to experience and are made with the experience of great people. As the UK’s largest listed commercial property company, with 24 million sq ft of real estate and a portfolio valued at £14.1 billion, we own and manage some of the most successful and recognisable assets in the country.
In London, our portfolio totals more than £7.8 billion, and consists of 6.4 million sq ft of real estate. From the world-famous Piccadilly Lights to the transformation of Victoria, SW1, we deliver exceptional experiences for the businesses and people that live and work in, and visit, the capital.
In Retail, across our 17.6 million sq ft of assets, we create outstanding experiences for customers and guests alike. Combined with the strength and resilience of our portfolio, this means we regularly outperform industry benchmarks for footfall and sales. We offer more than convenience and choice, recognising that memorable destinations are key to attracting the shoppers and retailers of today, and tomorrow.
We also aim to lead our industry in critical long-term issues – from diversity and community employment, to carbon and climate resilience. Everything we do is grounded in experience and begins with people. We deliver value for our shareholders, great experiences for our customers and positive change for our communities. At Landsec, everything is experience.
Find out more at landsec.com