We Grill now open at Leadenhall Market
It’s great to see We Grill now open and we are certain that this exciting new food concept will be a massive success.
We Grill offers a unique selection of healthy skewers, original seasoned side dishes and homemade soups, made from the best ingredients and all cooked fresh daily. Combining healthy with tasty and local with seasonal, the menu will be constantly evolving to satisfy a food savvy customer base.
Leadenhall Market, one of the main shopping destinations in the City of London, offers a unique variety of interesting retail brands and a wide range of restaurants, bars and cafes from fine dining, to traditional pubs to speciality food on the go.
As retained property advisers to We Grill, Lewis Craig acted on the premises acquisition and are now actively seeking to secure a second location.
Lewis Craig Instructed by Portlands 24/7 on Central London Expansion
We are delighted to have been retained to represent Portlands 24/7 in their Central London retail expansion.
Founded in 1985, as Portland Food & Wine, with the first and longest running store on Great Portland Street, the convenience store chain recently rebranded to Portlands 24/7, currently operate 8 well located units across Central London ranging in size from 400 to 2,500 sq ft.
L’Osteria Ready for UK Expansion
Lewis Craig are delighted to be representing L’Osteria with their UK expansion plans. L’Osteria is a reasonably priced casual dining experience serving exceptional pizza and pasta.
The plan is to establish the first restaurant in Central London offering 5,500/7,500 sq ft, ideally providing for 150/200 covers along with a bar area. Future expansion will be in major cities and university towns across the UK.
L’Osteria is a well established brand in mainland Europe, opening their first restaurant in 1999 and currently operating 45 restaurants across Germany and Austria.
L’Osteria will be owned and operated by L’Osteria UK (a joint venture between Prashant ‘Pru’ Naik and L’Osteria Austria). Managing Director and owner, Pru Naik, brings to L’Osteria’s management team over 30 years of experience in the hospitality and restaurant industry.
Pru has successfully led businesses ranging from logistics to multi-unit restaurants. Until recently, Mr. Naik owned and operated 25 McDonald’s restaurants in Central and West London, making him the largest McDonalds UK franchisee.
Please click here for the property requirement flyer, and do get in touch with Theo Benedyk or Richard Grossman to discuss further.
Biju Bubble Tearoom Launches in Soho
We are delighted to advise that our client Biju Bubble Tearoom have now launched their first UK shop at 45 Old Compton Street, Soho. Biju is an exciting new brand, dedicated to serving the tastiest bubble tea, using the freshest ingredients available.
Bubble Tea is gaining popularity in the UK, particularly in London and Biju are looking to capitalise by becoming a brand leader in a marketplace with huge potential and a captive customer base.
We think the brand and product are excellent, we wish Nick and the team every success, and we look forward to working closely with Biju Bubble Tearoom on the acquisition of further locations in key Central London locations.
Please click here for the property requirement flyer, and get in touch with Theo Benedyk to discuss Biju’s expansion plans.
All on Schedule for Trailfinders 2014 Openings
Acting on behalf of retained client Trailfinders, Lewis Craig have recently acquired properties in St Albans and Guildford, both now open, as well as a relocation property in Cardiff currently being fitted out.
The St Albans Travel Centre, which opened in March 2014 is located at 3 Market Place, alongside the famous 15th Century St Albans Clock Tower close to the junction of High Street.
This Grade II listed property, has dual frontages to Market Place and French Row and comprises an overall 1750 sq ft. The property has been sensitively restored to preserve the distinctive character and appearance of the locality, although there were some interesting setbacks during the fit-out as can be expected for a building of this age!
June saw the opening of Trailfinders Guildford Travel Centre, located at 146 High Street, occupying a prime position in this highly sought after High Street with a line-up that includes House of Fraser, Hugo Boss, Ted Baker, Karen Millen, etc. The property offers some 1700 sq ft over ground and first floors.
The Cardiff property, located in the heart of the city in busy pedestrianised Queen Street, is situated alongside the entrance to Queens Arcade and close to Cardiff Castle. Currently being fitted out the property which provides a ground floor retail area of some 2,300 sq ft along with additional ancillary space, is scheduled to open in October, as a relocation from 37 St Mary’s Street where Trailfinders have been located since 2005.
Lewis Craig, property advisers to Trailfinders, negotiated the freehold acquisitions of all three properties.
Contact Richard Grossman for further information and on Trailfinders continuing requirements.
Soho move for Bare Escentuals
Lewis Craig are delighted to have represented our client Bare Escentuals with their office relocation project, which saw the company move from their previous Soho Square offices, to Film House in Wardour Street.
Film House is one of Soho’s most prominent buildings, located on the East side of Wardour Street, in the heart of Soho. Wardour Street is one of London’s buzziest hotspots, being surrounded by numerous bars, restaurants and shopping facilities.
The premises, located on the fourth floor of Film House, provide approximately 8,300 sq ft, of largely open-plan space. Having considered several other options, the premises were identified as offering the perfect solution for the company’s UK head office requirement.
Bare Escentuals’ in-house counsel, Elaine Hutton, comments, “We are very happy with the excellent service provided by Lewis Craig throughout the relocation project, through to legal formalities being concluded. As always, the team at Lewis Craig grasped the brief and delivered excellent results.”
Originally founded in 1994 by Leslie Blodgett, in San Francisco, Bare Escentuals, with mineral based cosmetics line bareMinerals, has become a global success story. The company has been operating in the UK for over 15 years, trading from Selfridges, John Lewis, House of Fraser and Debenhams as well as bareMinerals stores across the country.
Please contact Richard Grossman regarding Bare Escentuals’ general property requirements.
NY Fold – Pizza like it oughta be
With 10 restaurants in the New York area, our client Bruno DiFabio is coming to London with NY Fold, an exciting new brand designed for the UK. Bruno has vast pizza and food industry experience and legendary celebrity status in the USA.
Lewis Craig acting as retained property advisers, have been given the brief to secure premises suitable for the first restaurant to open ideally in the next 3 to 4 months, with exciting plans to grow the brand during 2015/2016.
Born out of the old school genuine love and art of pizza making , the hallmark feature is the tossing of the tough, with NY Fold being all about theatre, performance and showmanship. Original New York pizza characteristics are a full-bodied crust with a bread-like consistency and extremely flavourful.
Areas under consideration include Spitalfields, Liverpool Street, Shoreditch, London Bridge, Soho, Camden, Clapham, Putney and similar profile locations. The space will ideally comprise 1500/2500 sq ft, although smaller opportunities considered in higher footfall locations.
Please speak to Richard Grossman with any interesting ideas.
Indian Gastronomy comes to Weybridge
Lewis Craig acquires Shiraz Ali’s latest restaurant at No.7 Temple Market, in Weybridge, Surrey. Lewis Craig negotiated a new sublease from the former tenant Gondola group.
Shiraz has taken the Indian restaurant scene in Surrey by storm, having already operated Addlestone’s Mystica restaurant for several years. No.7 opened at the end of June, and has already received tremendous praise for their Indian gastronomy.
Since early April 2014, Shiraz and his team have been designing something rather special for Weybridge, we are delighted they have now opened for business, and we wish them every success.
Shiraz Ali comments, “Theo Benedyk and the team at Lewis Craig were highly instrumental in assisting us acquire and negotiate the terms of the lease on our new restaurant. We were impressed with the level of professionalism and bespoke service offered to us.”
“Mange” from Finsbury Park to Clerkenwell East
Lewis Craig recently advised high-end caterer client Mange, on a relocation of their production kitchen and head office, from Finsbury Park to a new state-of-the-art facility in Central Street, EC1, part of Silvertown Properties impressive Clerkenwell East development, located between City Road and Old Street.
Following an extensive search, Clerkenwell East was identified as the perfect solution, offering an opportunity to purchase vacant commercial premises on a long leasehold basis in a central location providing easy access to service client events throughout London. The premises, located alongside the new home for the Contemporary Art Society, offer just under 3,200 sq ft of open plan space arranged over two levels.
Established in 1993, Mange has forged a reputation in the London events scene for stylish, innovative food and imaginative event design. An approved caterer at some of the capital’s notable venues, including the Southbank Centre and the Design Museum, the company has forged long-standing relationships with a diverse range of clients including American Express, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg, Land Securities, LVMH Group, Hugo Boss, Sony and Selfridges.
Richard Grossman says “It has been an absolute pleasure working with Mange on this project and we wish Anthony and his team continued success.”