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A national fashion retailer has become the latest tenant of Bath’s £13 million Milsom Place development.
Hobbs, which sells women’s clothes at more than 100 stores in the UK, first opened a shop in Bath on Milsom Street 21 years ago.
Managing director Nick Samuel said the chain’s former city centre premises had achieved the best sales density in its portfolio.
At 3,450 sq ft the new store is second only in size to Hobbs’ flagship shop on the Kings Road in London.
Mr Samuel said: “The demand from our customers for Hobbs collections had outgrown the previous site. By moving to a larger unit in Bath, we are able to showcase the full collection to these loyal customers. We love the new development because it is sympathetic to the buildings in the area and delivers a sophisticated lifestyle offering in the heart of Bath.”
The store held its official opening on Thursday after several weeks of trading in its new home. It is one of 26 retail outlets in Milsom Place.
The development will also be home to four restaurants, including the refurbished Moon and Sixpence and a 200-seat Italian restaurant being launched by the chef Jamie Oliver.
Mick McElhinny, of property consultants King Sturge, which is marketing the development, said: “Milsom Place will have a dramatic impact on shopping in the north of Bath.”
Construction work is due to be completed by the end of May.
The Bath Chronicle
After tackling school dinners, Jamie Oliver is heading for the high street. The celebrity chef is planning to launch a chain of Italian restaurants, the first of which is due to open in Bath in six months time.
The eateries will be called Jamie’s Italian and will offer a range of basic Italian food at affordable prices.
Oliver said he and his business partners, who include Ian Neill, chairman of noodle-bar chain Wagamama, are raising £7.5m to fund the launch of the first restaurants, and that he has invested £500,000 of his own money. There are plans to have 20 sites open in cities across the country within five years.
The restaurants will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and are expected to offer competition to Italian chains such as Strada and Carluccio’s.
Oliver said “What we’re doing is really beautiful, vibrant, local, quality restaurants in great university cities … and hopefully we can get ‘Billy from Bognor” trying a few things.”
Sunday Times 7 Oct 2007
Milsom Place, the new destination for shops and restaurants in the North of Bath, has announced the latest name to take space in the scheme.
Jamie Oliver is opening the first branch of his new “neighbourhood” restaurant offering high quality, authentic Italian food at an affordable price. The restaurant, called ‘Jamie’s Italian’, will open in early 2008 and includes a stunning roof top terrace.
Ken Elliott, a Director of the L&R Group, said “Jamie is a great name to announce so early in the development of Milsom Place and sets the standard for the businesses that will soon be joining us.”
‘Jamie’s Italian’ is the second restaurant to announce its opening date, a refurbished Moon and Sixpence will also be opening early in the New Year offering more impressive food for which it has gained such a strong reputation during 25 years of business in Bath.
‘Keith Waving owner of the Moon and Sixpence commented that “it is fantastic to have such a well known name joining us, our menus will complement each other well and Milsom Place will become a destination for the food lovers of Bath and beyond.”
Milsom Place is the union of Shires Yard and the adjacent Octagon building and courtyard. It is located between Milsom Street and Broad Street in the North of the city. With exciting new shops and restaurants set to join those already in Shires Yard, the overall mix of uses will focus on quality fashion and accessories retailing, with restaurants and health and beauty.
More new businesses will be announced soon and will start opening from the New Year. Shires Yard, which is open throughout the works, will be renamed and incorporated into Milsom Place in spring. A walk through the centre reveals some of the new views and thoroughfares which will soon be opening up.
Press Release 8 Oct 2007
The high profile and substantial developments planned for the Southgate and Western Riverside areas of Bath have attracted much press attention in recent months...
All of this is exciting news for Bath – revitalising neglected and outdated parts of the city, that let the side down in a World Heritage city – and improving the retail offering for locals and visitors. But there is concern that businesses located in the north of the city – on Milsom Street, Broad Street and Walcot Street in particular – could suffer when the Southgate development is completed, keeping shoppers, and their cash in the southern end of town.
The L&R Group, owners of the Shires Yard complex off Milsom Street, are keen to ensure that the north of Bath will not suffer. "The new developments are a challenge for north Bath" admits Sarah Mansfield, director of the L&R Group. "To redress the balance, this part of town needs to concentrate on what it does best, to provide a place for quality retailers and discerning shoppers."
The solution was another development, a plan to link Shires Yard with the Octagon and Moon and Sixpence to create a more expansive shopping destination in between Milsom Street and Broad Street, with two entrances from Milsom Street, two fromBroad Street and another from Green Street. Work on the development has already started, and is expected to be completed in the Autumn of 2007 at a cost of £10million.
"The problem we have always had at this end of town is that while Milsom Street is busy, Broad Street and Walcot Street tend to be quieter, a problem that can partly be attributed to poor access" explains Sarah. "Small historic buildings characterise this part of the city and need particularly careful treatment, so we've been working with the council planning department to adapt our plans, to remove infill buildings erected in the last 20 years and work with the listed buildings to expose them and create improved links for better appreciation."
One of the highlights of the new development will be the revival and refurbishment of the Octagon building. Many people will remember this as the former Royal Photographic Society headquarters, and the agreement for the lease was granted to the L&R Group in 2004 by the council. The Octagon is a wonderful Grade 1 listed building, a former chapel built by Thomas Lightholder in the late 18th century, and will be refurbished as a unique retail premises.
So what can people expect from the new development? Well firstly, the name Shires Yard will be phased out over the course of this year and replaced with a new brand – Milsom Place. "We wanted the development to be uniquely Bath with a touch of Notting Hill," says Sarah. "North Bath is the smart end of town, a place for the good quality, independent retailer, with a strong fashion theme...
Bath Magazine
Ambitious plans to transform part of Bath into an up-market shoppers' paradise have been spelt out. Projects to transform Bath's Shires Yard shopping complex and the area around it were outlined at yesterday's Bath Chronicle Business Breakfast at the Bath Spa Hotel.
The directors of the L&R Group which owns the site told the meeting that work was imminent. Director Sarah Mansfield said at the breakfast:
"The retail status of Bath has been slipping down the rankings in recent years. And there has been real concern that the city is no longer punching its weight. We have some great developments on the horizon, but those developments are also threats to the future of the north of Bath because if we don't look after that area it could end up becoming less viable. North Bath needs to secure itself and its future by understanding what it does best – fashion and top end retail.
Bath Chronicle
The £3m project will see new public routes and walkways developed around buildings and between Milsom Street and Broad Street. Nearby buildings which were put up in the 1980's will be demolished and one new raised walkway will link Milsom Place with the existing Shires Yard and Moon and Sixpence Yard.
The Moon and Sixpence will also double in size as part of the development.
The L&R Group, which holds the long lease for the site and DLG Architects have been working closely with planning officers and the historic environment team at Bath and North East Somerset Council in drawing up the plans. The L&R Group says the two firms have worked meticulously to arrive at a sensitive design that combines the best of the old fabric with the modern requirements of today's retailers.
Bath Chronicle