Haidilao chooses Bullring for first restaurant outside London

Hammerson has announced that Haidilao, China’s largest hot pot restaurant chain, has selected Bullring for its first site in the UK outside of London. The 8,073sq ft restaurant will join Brown’s and Wagamama in St Martin’s Square, and is set to launch in early 2021.

Founded in 1994 in China’s Sichuan Province, Haidilao now has over 750  restaurants globally including: China, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, the US, Canada, and Australia.  The Bullring restaurant will be the brand’s first outside of London and only its third site in the UK.

The new restaurant will include traditional hot pots at every table, and customers will be able to choose from the brand’s renowned soups, as well as cook their choice of meat, vegetables and noodles in the Chinese tradition.

Iain Mitchell, UK Commercial Director at Hammerson, added: “Bullring and Grand Central remains one of the nation’s leading retail and leisure destinations, and the fact that a global brand like Haidilao has chosen the centre for its first restaurant outside of London really demonstrates that. Restaurants and bars are having a really tough time at the moment, but today’s announcement shows that with the right brand in the right location, there is still scope for growth.”

A spokesperson for Haidilao said: “As the UK’s second city, and one with a large multi-cultural population, Birmingham is the ideal location for the first restaurant outside of London. In our national expansion plans, the Bullring provides us with the high footfall, strong reputation and central position that we seek.”

Safety is a priority for all brands in Bullring and Grand Central, and the destination has introduced a range of new safety measures including: a one-way system, an enhanced cleaning regime, and footfall monitoring to ensure that social distancing guidelines can be followed at all times. Further information on the safety measures that will be introduced at Haidilao will be announced later in the year.

Today’s news follows the recent reopening of the newly refurbished 9,000 sq ft flagship The Entertainer store. The brand invested £1m in the unit and created a fully immersive space, as well as its first Early Learning Centre shop-in-shop.

The Bullring is one of three destinations that comprise the Bullring Estate, with Grand Central and Link Street. Hammerson recently invested £2 million in enhancements to Grand Central’s New Street Mall, the key link to New Street and Stephenson Place. The works created more light, and include new seating and an enhanced experience for visitors.

ENDS