St. Davids Shopping Centre

My salon will offer a head shining service Kyle. That will be the difference between my salon and the second rate competition - I will cater solely for bald men. It's a winner, I just need Jantra to invest.

My salon will offer a head shining service Kyle. That will be the difference between my salon and the second rate competition - I will cater solely for bald men. It's a winner, I just need Jantra to invest.

Exactly what Cardiff needs Karl. Sign me up.

Thanks Kyle. I'm planning on opening in one of the commercial units at Bayscape......

Spoke to one of the staff at Lush in Queens Street last week and she told me that they are hoping to relocate into St. Davids this year!

Lush intend to open a Lush Spa in St. Davids which is basically their normal retail store with a Spa...

Perhaps where Kamigata was then?

I also wouldn't be so down on St Davids. Occupancy rates are still pretty high - its mostly smaller units that are not occupied, although Gilly Hicks, DV8 (which seems to be really popular on the island of Ireland, but never took off in Cardiff), the unit opposite Gilly Hicks (which has never been occupied), and the unit next to New Look (only ever partially occupied by temp retailers) are more sizeable.

Hush Puppies / Jack Wolf Store is going to become... a furniture shop called Natuzzi. Currently down the bay in the old sports bar unit, which might become a restaurant again.
The old perfume shop is going to become a Eurochange money store.
Michael Kors is likely opening up.
Jacomo / Simply Be is looking for a store in Cardiff, and can well imagine them taking the DV8 one.

But I think we'd be unwise to expect too many new openings from international retailers. Cardiff has proved pretty barren for more unusual stores. The Welsh seem to be very conservative and pretty price concious. Room for some niche "must have" top end things, especially on the accessories side... but high end clothes, or branded clothes with a strong male focus... no chance.

I'm amazed Natuzzi would move in there. Their stuff is very high-end and frankly the sofas are all too big for most modern room sizes. Their place in the Bay is more of a fancy showroom than a shop.

I agree RandomComment! I think the Kamigita unit would be perfect for the Lush Spa store.

Natuzzi is only a temporary letting! They are only using that unit to promote one product... A recliner chair - They're probably testing the water for a permanent store mind They are advertising 2 temporary full time job contracts at the moment!

If Jacamo / Simply Be decide to open a store in St Davids I don't think they'll chose the DV8 unit... I have seen their stores in other shopping centres and they have all been relatively small units - nothing remotely that big! I can imagine a Jacamo / Simply Be taking either the unit between Tiger and Ecco or the unit between Tempest and Oasis.

On that note, does anyone know whether Tempest Clothing is a permanent or temporary letting?

I don't think there is an empty unit between Tiger and Ecco - I think the store map is wrong.
And I don't think the other unit you mention is large enough. Its around 2000-2500 square foot I think, while Jacamo and Simply Be prefer stores of around 6,000 square feet, with a mezzanine or first floor level.

http://www.colliers.com/en-gb/uk/servic ... -be-jacamo

Perhaps the former G Star unit would work (although shame given the central location). Otherwise the former Blue Inc or La Senza units may work. You're probably right that the DV8/Republic Unit is too big - it'd be about 12,000 square feet all told I reckon.

You're right! Just remembered that Tiger took 2 units which means there isn't an empty unit! & true, the lower shopping level units will be too small for Jacamo/Simply Be!

Like you said the former La Senza unit would work quite well for Jacamo with the inclusion of the mezzanine! It would be nice to see some more mezzanines being used upstairs...

New lettings plan posted last week:

http://www.intugroup.co.uk/media/80809/ ... -15-v2.pdf

So what's new?

- Leia, the lingerie retailer is closing down. But they are in negotiations with another retailer.
- Kamigata/Aveda is closed - and the unit is available.
- Jack and Jones / Vera Moda is closing - as part of a general closure plan in the UK I believe. Unit available.
- Domo is being replaced, with the unit in solicitors hands
- As is the former shoe zone unit (they moved to the modelzone unit)
- Former Thomas Cook, and Holland and Barratt, Phones 4u and Baci units are under negotiations
- And many of the units upstairs on the Grand Arcade are too - including DV8, GStar, the MSU that's been empty for years, and that other lingerie shop. Interesting to see if any of these come to fruition.
- But no takers for the former Gilly Hicks or the MSU next to John Lewis that has also been empty since the start.

I think there has been some interesting patterns in recent closures:
- Seems the lingerie boom is over - only Boux Avenue survive. Now the recession Is over, seems that women are finding other things to spend their money (perhaps because their menfolk are too!).
- Confirmation that Cardiff is not great for standalone midmarket branded Fashion - especially that which tries to particularly appeal to men. We had all the closures from the original openings (Fenchurch, Lambretta, Quiksilver, Henleys...) and now G Star, Jack and Jones etc
- John Lewis just isn't the crowd puller they hoped. I take a look at weekly sales and it appears Cardiff just isn't pulling its weight. They don't publish the amount sold, but the stores are ranked according to cash changes in takings. And Those rankings seem to suggest the Cardiff store is only taking something like half that which stores in places like Cribbs, Kingston, and High Wycombe are.. and perhaps two thirds what something like Cambridge is. That's despite Cardiff being the largest store outside London. And I think that is being reflected by poor lettings performance at the John Lewis end of the centre - particularly upstairs.

If retailer demand was stronger, something could be done to make upstairs the focus for women's fashion - with Debenhams women's department at one end, and John Lewis at the other. As it is, it is kind of a hotch potch.