Member Article

Victoria Place Woking signs six brands in the lead up to its first phase launch

Victoria Place in Woking, co-owned by Woking Borough Council and Moyallen Group, has announced the signing of six leading retail, lifestyle and F&B brands – Moss Bros., Skechers, itsu, GAIL’s, Komo, and The Gym Group. The six brands total over 31,425 sq ft and will all open this spring.

Leading this wave of leasing news is the signing of menswear specialists, Moss Bros. Opening on Henry Plaza, the 2742 sq ft boutique will stock Moss Bros.’ full collection of versatile clothing, footwear and accessories, including its specialist range of suits and recently launched casualwear range. Moss Bros. Woking will also debut a new store concept for the brand. Skechers, the athletic footwear and apparel brand, will join Moss Bros. on Henry Plaza. As an international brand growing its portfolio, Skechers’s 5,000 sq ft store will offer shoppers 700 different styles of footwear and fashion under their ethos of quality, innovation, and comfort, enhancing the destination’s lifestyle offering. GAIL’s, the artisanal bakery and café, has signed a 4,129 sq ft unit on 1 Commercial Way. GAIL’s Woking will provide customers with high-quality freshly baked breads, pastries, and cakes throughout the day, as well as hand-roasted speciality grade house blend coffee. Asian healthy fast-food restaurant, itsu, will occupy a 3,300 sq ft site on 1 Mercia Walk, serving customers their renowned healthy Asian rice and noodle bowls, soups, sushi, salads and snacks, all made fresh in their on-site kitchen. High-end cocktail bar, Komo, has also signed for new space at 21-25 Commercial Way. The 4,754 sq ft bar will include 250 covers and entertain guests with an extensive cocktail and gin menu. Food will also be served from midday six days a week and brunch on Sundays. Completing the raft of new signings is leading national gym chain, The Gym Group, which has acquired an 11,500 sq ft space at 24-27 Bandstand Mall within The Peacocks Centre. Offering affordable, no contract membership with access to high-spec training equipment and a range of unlimited free gym classes, The Gym Group Woking is perfectly situated to serve residents of the 429 new BTR apartments as part of Victoria Place opening soon, as well as visitors to the town centre. Oliver Tester, Head of Property Acquisition at The Gym Group, commented: “We are very excited to be opening our latest gym in Woking at the Peacocks Centre. Woking town centre is undergoing significant investment with Victoria Place due to open in Spring 2022. Positioned right in the heart of the town centre, members can take advantage of easy accessibility to the gym through its close proximity to car parks and train stations. With its good connections to central London, and a desire from more people to move out of the capital to areas with more space like Woking, we see it as a key town to have a foothold in.”

As the official opening of phase one of Victoria Place fast approaches this wave of leasing news is a significant vote of confidence in the destination. Victoria Place is anchored by a 50,000 sq ft M&S store, and will also house a medical centre, two public plazas, and spacious new parking facilities. It serves a catchment of 1.1m people with an available spend of £2.6bn. 41% of Woking’s catchment are from CACI’s ‘Affluent Achievers’ Acorn profile, compared to 31% for the South East.

Councillor Ayesha Azad, Leader of Woking Borough Council, added: “As we approach the official opening of phase one of Victoria Place, the £700m regeneration scheme of the town centre, Woking is fast becoming a destination of choice for well-established brands. We’ve very proud that each of these brands has chosen to open in Woking, as all six will enhance our existing retail and F&B offering. They add more variety for local residents and visitors alike, and help us continue delivering a unique experience for visitors.”

The news follows the recent opening of Italian restaurant, Luciano’s, and the independent sister brands, The Tea Terrace Restaurant & Tea Room and Ol’ West Grill & Diner.

JLL and Nash Bond acted for Victoria Place. MMX Retail represented Moss Bros., whilst Skechers dealt direct. PF Retail represented itsu while GAIL’s and Komo dealt direct. Price Property Consultants acted for The Gym Group.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Claire Cowan .