River Island deal confirmed at Barons Quay

The retailer’s rumoured move to the leisure scheme in Northwich has been confirmed by Cheshire West & Chester Council, with River Island exchanging contracts on an 8,700 sq ft unit.

Fit-out work to the store will begin in the coming weeks although no opening date has been set for the store.

River Island was revealed to be coming to Barons Quay earlier this year after planning documents showed the company’s signage at units 14-16, opposite The Entertainer and adjacent to Marks & Spencer.

It joins H&M and Sports Direct as the third clothing retailer at Barons Quay, while other retailers include the Card Factory and Asda. The 225,000 sq ft scheme was built by Cheshire West & Chester and opened on a phased basis in 2016.

Cheshire West & Chester’s cabinet member for Regeneration and growth, Cllr Richard Beacham said: “River Island is an extremely well-established fashion brand who I know will be welcomed to Northwich by local residents.

“We will continue to work hard to attract new tenants to Barons Quay and hope to potentially have more great news to share in the very near future.

“This is yet another step along the journey towards Northwich becoming a retail, leisure and cultural destination in the heart of mid-Cheshire.”

Head of property at River Island, John Sigler added: “We are delighted to be opening River Island in Barons Quay. We are looking forward to showcasing more of our products in a new store and location, enabling us to create the best shopping experience possible for new and existing customers”.

Elsewhere within the development, the team behind Tattenhall’s The Ice Cream Farm is set to open a restaurant and play concept totalling around 7,000 sq ft.

Set to open in early 2020, the concept will include an indoor play area and a 200-cover restaurant targeted at young families.

Earlier this month, the 10,000 sq ft Barons Quay Social also opened, adding to the existing leisure offering of an Odeon cinema and Wildwood restaurant.

Brasier Freeth and GCW are the retained agents for Barons Quay.