MAC Make-Over Camden
Acting for the freeholder, Lewis Craig have arranged for a letting of retail premises at 279 Camden High Street to MAC Cosmetics.
A strong level of interest was received from a range of retailers looking to secure representation in the stretch of Camden High Street between Camden Town Underground and the world famous Camden Lock Market by Camden Lock Bridge.
Achille Salvagni Atelier acquires Mayfair flagship
Acting on behalf of Liquidators David Rubin & Partners, Lewis Craig were recently involved with the assignment of the leasehold interest at 12 Grafton Street, Mayfair to Achille Salvagni Atelier. Achille Salvagni, a member of the Italian Order of Registered Architects, and an interior and furniture designer, founded the firm in 2002.
Blüthner Pianos West End Relocation
Blüthner Pianos, represented by Lewis Craig, have opened an impressive new showroom in the heart of the West End, at the landmark 10 Portman Square development situated at the southern end of Baker Street by Portman Square, London W1.
Located alongside Waitrose and Fired Earth, close to Selfridges, the premises comprising some 4,070 sq ft, offer a two level showroom of modern design, featuring additional sound-proofed, air conditioned practice and recording rooms each featuring a grand piano.
Fired Earth at Ascot
Acting on behalf of bespoke furniture specialists Woodstock, Lewis Craig have arranged for an assignment of the leasehold interest on their showroom premises in Winkfield Road, Ascot to Fired Earth Limited, part of the AGA Rangemaster Group Plc.
The premises, extending to just under 3,000 sq ft over ground and first floors along with a front courtyard area, occupy a prominent position in Winkfield Road at the junction of High Street.
Coffee Republic appoint Lewis Craig
Lewis Craig have been appointed by Coffee Republic to assist their growing number of UK franchisees in securing new sites.
Coffee Republic currently operate 4 Company Bars, including Bluewater Shopping Centre, with 16 UK franchises, including Marble Arch and Wood Green, with a further 4 franchises opening by Mid Feb 2015, and the franchise division is on target for a minimum of 20 plus new franchises, by the end of 2015.
In addition to operating in the UK, Coffee Republic have a growing international presence, with 19 Bars operated by Master Franchisees in South Africa, Jordan, Kuwait, Vilnius International Airport Lithuania (opened in September 2014) Pakistan (Lahore and Islamabad opened in 2013), Romania and Lanzarote Airport in the Canary Islands (opened in August 2014), Qatar (in the prestigious Pearl Development in Doha opened in December 2014), and the latest International Bar due to open in Oman in February, with discussions underway with several other prospective international master licence operators.
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.
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.
Hanina Fine Arts open new Mayfair gallery
Lewis Craig acquire Hanina Fine Arts’ new art gallery in Mayfair, at 21 Woodstock Street, located off New Bond Street. Hanina Fine Arts (HFA) have been dealing in twentieth century European art for over twenty years, and have established a reputation as leading specialists in the post-war School of Paris.
Following a decade of private dealing in New York, HFA was founded in London by the director Yuval Hanina in 1992, initially encountering some resistance to his new modern gallery on Westbourne Grove; it went on to prove a catalyst for the transformation of the street into one of London’s most chic shopping streets.
In 2010 HFA opened a gallery on St George Street in Mayfair which in 2013 became Sotheby’s S2. During Q4 2013, Lewis Craig were instructed to identify suitable premises for HFA’s gallery relocation.
Yuval Hanina comments,
“Having relinquished our previous gallery to Sotheby’s in 2013, we found it a much greater challenge than expected to find a suitable new space in Mayfair in a very competitive market. Towards the end of the year I met with Theo Benedyk from Lewis Craig, whose knowledge and intelligence was immediately apparent and combined with his amiable manner he was a great a pleasure to deal with.
Theo soon identified a potential property for us, negotiating both the acquisition of the existing lease and subsequently a surrender and re-grant of a new lease. This required skill and talent to convert a delicate situation into a successful result. I would highly recommend Theo and the team at Lewis Craig for commercial property matters.”