Two new tenants at Leeds’ Merrion Centre create 17 new jobs

Leading British butcher Crawshaws Butchers is set to be Leeds’ Merrion Centre’s newest tenant, along with the new Taiwanese bubble-tea shop, Bubble Bubble.

Town Centre Securities PLC (TCS) has just secured two new deals, which have approximately created up to 17 new jobs in the city centre.

TCS and Crawshaws Butchers have just entered into a 10-year lease to secure the opening of the Yorkshire butcher’s 24th store at the Merrion Centre, as well as its first Leeds city centre shop unit and is expected to recruit 12-15 new staff members over the next few weeks.

The store opening is the first step in Crawshaws Butchers’ plans to expand its portfolio to approximately 200 stores over the next 8 years. Before opening its doors in May, the new 962 sq-foot store will undergo a full refurbishment.

Crawshaws Butchers currently operates out of 23 stores across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Humberside with sites in Sheffield, Derby and Grimsby and a head office in Rotherham.

Kevin Boyd, managing director of Crawshaws Butchers, said: “After a three year wait I’ve finally got the site that I’ve been looking for! It’s a fantastic centre with great footfall and it’s a really up and coming area – the Arena Quarter is growing all of the time and we’re excited to be part of it.

“We’re confident that our fresh, high quality meats will be a big hit with shoppers, nearby office employees and students. With the finest cuts of meat and gold award winning sausages our offering of high quality produce at great prices is going to be hard to resist.”

The Merrion Centre will also become the home of the new Taiwanese bubble-tea shop, Bubble Bubble, at the end of March, which already has recruited two full time members of staff and are looking for three additional part time recruits over the six-month lease.

After investing £10,000 into the store in the mini market, Bubble Bubble’s opening hopes to bring a taste of the Far East to the people of West Yorkshire. The unit aims to create a boutique vintage tea room setting.

The store’s focal point will be bubble tea – a Taiwanese drink made using tapioca balls that has proven popular in the UK since arriving in 2011.

Yan Jiechao, founder of Bubble Bubble, said: “Bubble tea has become increasingly popular in the last four years. The concept is particularly popular with young people, and the Merrion Centre was chosen as the ideal location with thousands of students and shoppers passing through its doors every day.”

Helen Green, associate director for Town Centre Securities, added: “We are delighted to welcome Crawshaws Butchers and Bubble Bubble to the Merrion Centre. The two new offerings give our customers even more choice. It’s great that the Merrion Centre can accommodate traditional stores like Crawshaws Butchers but also appeal to more cosmopolitan establishments like Bubble Bubble. This mix and wide range is what makes the Merrion Centre unique and a success.”