Edinburgh St James has signed four brands from global retail group Inditex, including fashion powerhouse Zara, to form part of the world-class retail offering at the 1.7m sq ft mixed-use development at the heart of the Scottish capital.
The pre-let deal will see Zara take 37,000 sq ft over 3 floors at Edinburgh St James; while Bershka, Stradivarius and Pull&Bear will take stores of 9,300 sq ft, 6,000 sq ft and 8,000 sq ft respectively, all located within the main multilevel galleria. The Inditex brands will join an exclusive line-up of retailers, F&B and leisure occupiers at Edinburgh St James which already includes John Lewis, Next, Everyman Cinema and the W Edinburgh.
Being developed by Nuveen Real Estate, Edinburgh St James will span five floors of prime shopping, dining, leisure and entertainment, and is forecast to welcome in excess of 20 million visitors a year. Due to open its retail and F&B element in 2020, the much anticipated £1bn development is one of the most significant regeneration projects currently underway in the UK, and is set to strengthen Edinburgh’s standing as one of Europe’s most exciting and cosmopolitan cities.
According to research by CACI, Edinburgh St James will increase the city’s catchment area by 13 per cent when it opens, reaching 1.9m people with £4.5bn of available spend. It will also benefit from the city’s £1bn visitor economy, where tourists spend an average of £236 per visit, compared to £162 in European benchmark cities such as Stockholm and Amsterdam.
Martin Perry, Director of Development at Edinburgh St James, commented: “Edinburgh St James is being created to reflect Edinburgh’s position as a pan-European opportunity city with a thriving economy and unique appeal amongst tourists from across the world. The signing of four Inditex brands to take prime locations within Edinburgh St James reinforces the development’s significance and highlights its appeal to leading international brands. Our vision is to deliver a destination that builds on Edinburgh’s famous calendar of events with our nine events spaces, and delivering a collection of handpicked brand partners in order to curate a world-class offering.”
When complete, Edinburgh St James will comprise 850,000 sq ft of retail space, complementing the high-end shopping offer of neighbouring luxury retailer Harvey Nichols, which anchors the premium shopping street of Multrees Walk. Strategically completing the city centre’s retail circuit, the development will also be home to 30 new restaurants, cafés and bars; Scotland’s first luxury W Hotel, comprising 244 stylish guestrooms; luxury aparthotel brand Roomzzz, comprising 75-rooms; and 152 apartments by Native Land, in addition to delivering three new public squares and 1,600 car parking spaces.
In close proximity to rail, tram and bus connections, Edinburgh St James will be a short, three-minute walk from Waverley Station. Visitors arriving by air will also be able to take a short bus or tram ride directly to the scheme upon its completion.