Clarks takes 7,000 sq ft in Kendal

Asset manager Praxis has secured shoe retailer Clarks at the former Argos unit in Kendal’s Westmorland Shopping Centre, with the store due to open in January 2019.

The retailer has taken a 10-year lease on the store, vacated by Argos earlier this year, and will operate a flagship retail offering alongside a heritage exhibition showcasing the history of the brand.

Denby and Klass have also signed new leases at the shopping centre, which also has operators including Poundland, Clintons, Topshop, Waterstones, the Body Shop, and Greggs.

Richard Wilson, senior asset manager at Praxis, said: “We are committed to transforming Westmorland Centre into a major attraction not only for Kendal but the whole Lake District, and the Clarks deal is further evidence that our strategy is working.

“In addition to Clarks, Denby and Klass have also signed new leases this year and other big-name retailers are in the pipeline. We will also soon be announcing details of a major investment in a hotel and leisure development at Westmoreland Centre which will radically transform the shopping experience for the benefit of shoppers and retailers alike.”

Elsewhere in Kendal, plans have been put forward to convert the largely vacant K Village shopping centre into a hotel and apartments. The shopping centre has 29 retail units comprising 43,000 sq ft in total but only three of these are occupied.

Barker Proudlove is the agent for Westmorland, Johnstone Property Consultants represented Clarks.