Retail Success for White Commercial and the M40

White Commercial Surveyors are proving successful in their quest to find retail occupiers for premises in and along the northern sector of the M40. Despite difficult trading conditions and with the Centre for Retail Research advising of 56,000 job losses and over 1,830 store closures in the retail sector in 2018 White Commercial Surveyors continue to see demand for accommodation in the region.

Recent transactions include lettings to Toolstation, Howdens, Empire Tattoo Studio, Waterman’s Jewellers, Coffee #1, One Man Band music & piano specialists, Turkish Gul Restaurant, My Bathrooms, Dar Lighting and The Salvation Army and 2 units Warren Bakeries. We are also active in the search for 10 new additional sites in the Oxfordshire and Warwickshire region for Warrens Bakery.

Banbury’s Castle Quay shopping centre, which was purchased by Cherwell District Council in January 2018, will be undergoing some upgrades, whilst full construction works have started on the Castle Quay 2 development. The scheme will deliver a restaurant and leisure offering anchored by Lidl, The Light Cinema and a Premier Inn Hotel, strengthening Banbury’s retail and leisure offer and helping to attract more visitors to the town and increasing footfall beyond traditional peak trading hours. The development will improve connectivity within the town centre and rejuvenate Banbury’s evening economy, providing a boost to the town in the process. Castle Quay is one of a number of ongoing initiatives in the pipeline scheduled for completion in various phases throughout 2021.

Cllr Lynn Pratt, Lead Member for Economy, Regeneration and Property at Cherwell District Council, commented: “The forthcoming Castle Quay 2 development is just one of the projects underway to regenerate the wider Banbury area. We are working towards a Banbury that continues to thrive and attracts the best new retailers and restaurants, while meeting the needs of our residents. We are proud that we have progressed the plans for Castle Quay 2 and, under the council’s ownership, we will protect our town centre for the future whilst attracting further investment to the area”.