Quartet of retailers sign new spaces in Covent Garden

Nobody’s Child, SpaceNK, Whistles, and Lipault have all committed to over 11,200 sq ft of prime retail space on Long Acre and Neal Street in Covent Garden, London. Nobody’s Child has selected 3 Neal Street to house its new London flagship. The 2,044 sq ft two-storey unit will be the brand’s largest store to date, joining locations on Carnaby Street and Spitalfields. Set to open on 10 August, the Neal Street store will follow Nobody’s Child’s “successful” pop-up on Long Acre last May. Jody Plows, CEO at Nobody’s Child, said: “After a successful pop-up on Long Acre last year, we knew Covent Garden was the ideal location to launch our third permanent site. Finding the perfect unit for our flagship was key and 3 Neal Street, located just off the bustling Long Acre, surrounded by leading fashion and beauty brands, is exactly what we were looking for. “We’re excited to launch our largest store to date and can’t wait to welcome our community to our new Nobody’s Child store.” Almost doubling its presence on Neal Street, luxury cosmetics retailer SpaceNK has opened its brand-new upsized space in Covent Garden. Recently unveiling its double-frontage 4,285 sq ft store at 5-7 Neal Street, the move marks an 80% uplift in space for SpaceNK, with the new West End flagship featuring a state-of-the-art treatment room. Charlie Evans, head of retail at Space NK, said: “Covent Garden was the location for our first store over 25 years ago, so when the opportunity arose to upsize into the larger unit next door on Neal Street, we took it in a heartbeat. “Marking an 80% upsize, expanding into the larger site at 5-7 Neal Street is a strong strategic decision for the business and we are delighted to see our new store already exceeding trading expectations by 90%.” London-based womenswear brand Whistles has selected 117 Long Acre to launch its new London flagship. Spanning two floors, the 3,669 sq ft space will be the first of a new store concept for the brand, characterised by its “signature contemporary design” with a gallery-inspired aesthetic and digital screens. The new flagship store will open on 11 September and house Whistles’ complete Womenswear collection, including Whistles Wedding, Petites, and Limited-Edition collections, all available in UK 04-20 sizes. In addition, marking Lipault’s debut store in the UK, the Samsonite-owned French luggage brand has officially opened its doors on 120 Long Acre. The 1,206 sq ft location is the brand’s fourth store in Europe, joining three sites across Paris, and showcases Lipault’s full range of suitcases, bags, and accessories. Simon Taylor, property director at the Mercers’ Company, added: “The letting of 11,200 sq ft prime retail space on Long Acre and Neal Street to such leading brands is a significant endorsement of in-person shopping, as well as the strength of Covent Garden. “As one of the most popular shopping destinations in Europe, Covent Garden continues to thrive, as evidenced by Nobody’s Child’s selection of Neal Street to launch its flagship store, SpaceNK’s 80% increase in size and reinvestment in the area, Lipault’s decision to launch its UK debut, and Whistles’ choice to make Long Acre a permanent home.”