Competitive socialising operator Spinners has chosen Touchwood shopping centre in Solihull for its latest location, bringing crazy golf, interactive darts, shuffleboard and electronic clay shooting to the destination.
Spinners has signed a new 15-year lease for a unit located within Touchwood’s dining and leisure-focused Upper Mall area. To meet Spinners’ requirements, the unit was extended through the conversion of an adjacent balcony and mall area, and now totals 5,852sq ft.
The arrival of Spinners marks the first competitive leisure operator at Touchwood, providing a range of activities, alongside a cocktail bar and dining space, aimed at socialising groups of friends, family and colleagues. Touchwood will be its third location, following existing operations in Plymouth and Reading.
The latest letting further strengthens what is already the region’s leading retail and leisure line-up, with Touchwood now 99% let. Spinners complements a dining offer that already includes major high street names such as Nandos, Wagamama and The Real Greek, alongside independents including Yakinori Japanese Kitchen, Latin American streetfood specialist Tio Latino, and the Jamaican-inspired Jamaya.
Notable retailer additions to Touchwood over the past year include Mango, Levi Strauss & Co, Mint Velvet and Rituals, joining existing blue-chip names such as Apple, John Lewis and Zara.
Following its acquisition of Touchwood three years ago, owner The Ardent Companies and asset manager Sovereign Centros from CBRE have implemented a strategy focused on strengthening and diversifying the scheme’s tenant mix and offer. In that time, Touchwood has seen considerable improvements in occupancy rate, footfall and trading performance, firmly establishing it as the West Midlands’ destination of choice.
Jamie Bylett, director at Spinners, commented: “The West Midlands has long been a target location for us as we look to expand Spinners nationwide, and Touchwood is a perfect fit for our concept. With an affluent catchment, and an occupier line-up that is driving strong visitor numbers, Touchwood is ideal for the competitive socialising Spinners offers. We look forward to welcoming the people of Solihull and beyond to try their hand at crazy golf, darts and all the other games we have on offer.”
Andrew Hilston, managing director at The Ardent Companies, said: “Spinners’ arrival is a key part of our efforts to further expand the range of leisure options at Touchwood, and its competitive socialising concept is a fantastic addition to the line-up here. Over the past three years we have strived to give visitors to Touchwood the widest possible choice of both retail and leisure operators, and it is fantastic to see that approach pay such dividends through both increased footfall and strong trading performances throughout.”
Simon Phipps, senior director at Sovereign Centros from CBRE, added: “Competitive socialising and dining options are key elements of any destination’s offer, and Spinners’ choice of Touchwood as the latest location for its growing brand reflects the scheme’s strong trading performance and sizeable, affluent catchment. With occupancy now at 99%, the brands and leisure options we’ve brought to Touchwood give people a huge range of compelling reasons to visit.”
Sovereign Centros from CBRE is the asset manager of Touchwood, while Cushman & Wakefield and Knight Frank are the retained leasing agents.
