Zara, JD Sports to expand presence at Brent Cross

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Apr 4, 2017

Changes continue at Brent Cross following a recent upsize by Pandora and the opening of new stores for Urban Decay and Smiggle last year as the shopping centre announces that a further three retailers have chosen to expand their stores.

Global fashion retailer Zara, sportswear specialist JD Sports and leading jeweller Fraser Hart are set to upsize their presence at the mall, which is set to undergo a planned £1.4bn redevelopment by Hammerson and Standard Life Investments.

Zara will upsize increase its store on the Lower Mall, expanding into the adjacent unit to take its floor space from 1,250 to over 2,000 sq m, while JD Sports will more than double its footprint moving from a 350 sq m store to a 770 sq m unit in the Upper Mall.

Fraser Hart will take additional space in two units adjacent to its existing store on the Upper Mall, to double its presence to 280 sq m.  

In addition, leading fashion brand All Saints is currently fitting out its new store on the Upper Mall, where it will trade alongside complementary fashion-led brands including Anthropologie and Reiss.

“We are noticing a trend for major brands taking more space across our portfolio as they look to prioritise flagship stores in prime regional destinations as part of a multichannel retailing strategy.  Upsizings by brands such as Zara, JD Sports and Fraser Hart demonstrate that physical space in the right locations still delivers the most compelling environment for customer engagement,” said Iain Mitchell, UK Commercial Director at Hammerson.

Hammerson and Standard Life Investments are planning to expand and modernise the London shopping centre as part of a larger £4.5bn regeneration plan for Brent Cross and Cricklewood.

The plans will revitalise the North London quarter into a new urban village with more than 1 million sq ft of retail and leisure space. The scheme will double the size of the existing centre and will retain flagship John Lewis and Fenwick stores, as well as deliver a new Marks & Spencer anchor store.

The upgrade is scheduled to be completed in 2022.