Drake Circus Leisure attracts new brands

A range of exciting restaurants, bars and leisure brands will be opening at Drake Circus Leisure, the new leisure and entertainment development located in Plymouth city centre.

Four food and beverage brands and one leisure operator have committed to a combined 32,000 sq. ft of space in the new development, which will open in the Autumn. Located adjacent to British Land’s Drake Circus, the scheme will complement the shopping centre, creating another vibrant destination for Plymouth. The leisure complex will be anchored by a 41,000 sq. ft, 12-screen Cineworld cinema, together with a state of the art IMAX screen, the first to open in the south west.

New restaurants and bars arriving at the centre include: Five Guys, the burger joint which will open a 2,500 sq. ft restaurant; Nando’s, which has committed to a 4,300 sq. ft restaurant; upmarket café-bar chain, Cosy Club, which will take 6,700 sq. ft and Italian eatery, Zizzi which has committed to 4,000 sq. ft of space. Paradise Island Adventure Golf will open a 15,000 sq. ft indoor adventure golf centre, its first in the south west of England. These lettings bring the total space let to 68%. 

Council leader Tudor Evans OBE said: “This is one of the only city centre leisure developments happening right now in the UK and not only is the building transforming this part of the city centre, it’s helping to bring some great – and new names – into Plymouth. These brands share our vision to bring more people to the city centre, to keep reinventing what Plymouth has to offer so that more people visit – both during the day and in the evening.”

Marc Ward, Group Head of Acquisitions, Azzurri Group, said: “We are very much looking forward to opening our Zizzi restaurant in this exciting development.  For many years we have been looking for a suitable opportunity for representation in this important city, and this leisure development in the heart of the city, adjacent to the shopping centre, is the ideal location.”

Ben Grose, Head of National Leasing, British Land, said: “The commitment of five prominent brands is a reflection both of the strength of Drake Circus’ appeal as a shopping and leisure destination and the success of our long-term asset management plan.

“Over recent years we have brought an exciting mix of new brands to the scheme and the additional investment we are making into a dedicated leisure and entertainment centre, will not only broaden the centre’s appeal but improve the experience for our customers. We’re pleased with the construction progress and look forward to delivering one of the only leisure developments this year in the UK at Drake Circus.”

Plymouth has a large and affluent catchment of 560,000 people and benefits from a thriving tourist trade which welcomes 4.1 million visitors annually. The scheme has annual footfall of around 17 million people and is located close to the train station, which is connected by a regular bus service.

Smith Young and Cushman & Wakefield advised British Land on the lettings.