Trinity Leeds: A new heart of the city

A few years ago, the retail calendar was crammed full with the opening dates for shopping developments all of shapes and sizes – with many a mega scheme among them.

Today, the diary is altogether less busy, with the big beast developments all but over – for now, at least.

In fact, Land Securities’ £350m Trinity Leeds development will be the only major scheme to open in the UK in 2013. So with one year to go ahead of opening, Retail Week took a trip north to chart the progress of what is now a rare event for the retail sector.  

What is the gap in the market for the ambitious 1 million sq ft Trinity Leeds? Is it enough to attract the retail names? And will this development prove to be the beating heart of the city that Land Securities hopes it will be?

Even getting to this point hasn’t been straightforward. It has already been delayed once. Initially due to open in 2010, the whole project was halted in 2009 after the severity of the economic downturn resulted in a loss of appetite for new stores and space. Land Securities took the decision to pause construction until it was satisfied the retailers had returned, setting a 40% pre-let figure as a trigger for the project to get underway again, which it did in August 2010.

Unsurprisingly, given the climate, managing the leasing has been one of the biggest challenges. But there is proving to be an appetite among retailers for the development. Supergroup founder Julian Dunkerton is among the enthusiasts. The retailer is opening a Superdry store in the scheme, and he has great faith that it will deliver. “It’s going to be a game-changer in Leeds. It’s an exciting development that’s going to create a whole new centre and we’re delighted to be part of it. It’s definitely going to create a new heart of the city. It’s the big one,” he says.

When complete, Trinity Leeds will boast 1 million sq ft of prime space in the heart of the city, flanked by prestigious shopping streets. The majority will be new space, built on the site of the old Burton Arcade, with 300,000 sq ft of the existing Leeds Plaza also being redeveloped to create one unified scheme. It will include 120 units and be anchored by Marks & Spencer and Primark.

Big name attraction

To date, 66% of the centre is now taken, with more deals likely to be signed in the coming weeks. Already signed up are a host of big-name retailers, and while the developer is keeping its cards close to its chest about all the names, it will attract 25 new retailers to Leeds. Some are already confirmed – including Mango, Cult, Hollister and Swarovski. In addition, 10 international retailers will take their first UK stores in the scheme – the names of which are yet to be released.

Some might say the fact it has attracted these brands is proof that Trinity Leeds has already done its job. Nobody is claiming Leeds is currently deprived of good shopping, but many say it is the type of space Trinity will provide – in terms of the larger, modern units – that retailers are clamouring for and that are lacking in many other shopping centres or areas in the city.

There is little doubt, though, about Leeds’ strength as a retail shopping destination. With a catchment area of 5.5 million, 72,000 students in the city alone, a nationwide reputation for fashion, a burgeoning luxury scene including a Harvey Nichols store, a host of successful independents and a close-knit network of prime shopping streets, the UK’s seventh retail city has a lot going for it. So in such a retail-rich place, is there truly a need for such a development?

Some argue that despite the extent of the retail offer, Leeds lacks a focus. Yes, there are plenty of good shops but they are geographically spread out and some say there is consumer demand for one key shopping location. Cushman & Wakefield head of shopping centre leasing at Trinity Leeds Toby Sykes argues that while it’s a “great city and very dynamic in terms of fashion”, no other scheme in the city possesses the “critical mass to be a heart like the Bullring is in Birmingham”. He adds:“I think it will bring Leeds together as one.”

Land Securities retail leasing director at Trinity Leeds John Grimes says the development has been carefully thought through. It will act as a retail hub, enhancing and complementing what already exists. “It’s about respecting the fact that Leeds is full of centres and shopping streets,” he says. “We’re not creating a new retail pitch, we’re bordered by some great streets.” He is convinced that its success will be in part owing to the fact it has a “stunning design” and will have a true presence in the city.

It is an impressive construction. The most distinctive feature is the impressive glass dome roof on the main concourse – a nod to the Victorian arcades that dot the city. Comprising 1,902 individual panels and with a surface area of 40,000 sq ft, it is designed by SKM Anthony Hunts – the firm behind the Eden Project – to let in natural air and light and prevent the centre from feeling sealed in. The roof reaches 100ft above street level and covers the bulk of the three floors of the centre. Sweeping through the middle is a main concourse overlooked by balconies from all three floors.

Moving up the ranks

A year from now, when Trinity Leeds opens its doors, it is anticipated that the scheme will propel Leeds from seventh to fourth in the CACI ranking of retail destinations, and lead to a 15% increase in the overall retail market potential in the city.

This expected upsurge speaks volumes about the perceived quality of the scheme. Land Securities says the large, modern units and the work that has gone into the design of the overall scheme has been instrumental in luring new brands. Grimes says: “The confidence and the momentum has been great. Where we’ve had real success is where we’ve had competition with more than one occupier looking at some units.” He adds: “In this climate some retailers are thinking about survival but they also want to grow organically and they are interested in what’s going on in Leeds. It’s been very rewarding.”

Retailer activity is indicative of the confidence they place in the development. Primark, already operating in the Leeds Plaza scheme to the north of the new site, will expand its unit to 107,000 sq ft and anchor that area of the scheme, while M&S will take some of the new space available to create a 155,000 sq ft anchor for the main centre. Topshop will extend its existing store to 40,000 sq ft from 26,000 sq ft, Cult will open its biggest UK store there, and Next, one of Leeds’ most famous exports, will open a new flagship 57,000 sq ft store over three floors – an upgrade from its existing unit in West Riding House.

Developers always trot out the line that every effort has been made to seamlessly link their new scheme with the host city. In the case of Trinity Leeds, this appears to be more than just lip service. Land Securities has done much to ensure that the centre connects to the nearby shopping streets of Commercial Street, Boar Lane, Briggate and Bond Street, and this is apparent on a site tour.

The open design of the space and the multiple entrances, including a new one being built on the site of the relocated JJB Sports store, have been carefully positioned to allow a healthy flow of footfall from neighbouring streets. Standing on top of the structure taking shape below, it is possible to see exactly how well-routed the centre is.

A long journey

For Land Securities, it has been a long journey to reach this point. Setting the 40% pre-let figure as a trigger to recommence the development was, says Sykes, “ambitious”. He says: “It took real courage to commit to it. It would have been easier not to do that, but now the momentum is at an all-time high. It’s been a long, hard process and the market we’ve been in has made it that much harder, but Leeds was so under-shopped and so many brands weren’t there that the city has reacted very positively to something new coming through.”

But no one could say it is without competition. Despite the insistence that it will unite the city’s retail offer, Land Securities will have to contend with the fact there are several big schemes already in Leeds. And another project, Hammerson’s Eastgate Quarter, which also faltered in the downturn, restarted last year and is set for completion in 2015, bringing a new John Lewis department store to the city.

But Grimes is confident Trinity Leeds will not only be a success, it will also be good for the city. He says it will benefit other shopping areas in the city and, critically, it will help “reduce the leakage of the catchment” to nearby shopping Meccas Meadowhall and the Trafford Centre.

Any new development has its risks. In some ways Trinity Leeds is at a disadvantage, finding itself in the lonely position of being the only major retail scheme to open next year. Many will be closely scrutinising its progress. But downturn or no downturn, there is a strong case for its opening. A week is a long time in retail, never mind a year, but progress to date can be taken as good news for Leeds shoppers, retailers and property developers alike.