ProCook, the popular kitchenware retailer, has opened its first store in the West Midlands at the Touchwood shopping centre in Solihull. The new 4,510 sq ft store, located in the Crescent Arcade area of the centre, marks the latest addition to the centre’s growing line-up of premium brands. ProCook has signed a 10-year lease for the space and will offer a wide range of kitchen products including cookware, knives, utensils, tableware, and small appliances.
This opening adds to Touchwood’s already extensive offering of high-end retailers, with the shopping centre now 99% let. ProCook joins established brands such as Oliver Bonas, Mango, Miele, Rituals, Tag Heuer, Apple, Zara, and John Lewis, further enhancing the shopping destination’s appeal.
Since its acquisition of Touchwood in 2021, owner The Ardent Companies and asset manager Sovereign Centros have worked on a strategy aimed at diversifying the centre’s tenant mix and offering new experiences for visitors. In addition to introducing new retail brands like ProCook, the strategy has also seen the expansion of leisure and dining options, including competitive socialising venues like Spinners and eateries ranging from popular high street names like Wagamama to independent restaurants such as the Jamaica-inspired Jamaya.
Over the past year, Touchwood has secured over 40,000 sq ft of new lettings, bringing it to near full occupancy. The shopping centre has seen a 2.8% increase in footfall in 2023 compared to the previous year, with trading figures now matching pre-pandemic levels. Touchwood’s success has solidified its reputation as one of the top-performing shopping centres in the UK and a key retail destination in the West Midlands.
Commenting on the latest addition, Andrew Hilston, Managing Director at The Ardent Companies, said: “The arrival of ProCook at Touchwood is emblematic of the strategy we have implemented at the scheme, bringing new brands and operators to the destination that both complement the existing offer and provide something different to visitors. The success of the approach – drawing in more visitors to a centre that is at near full capacity – underlines Touchwood’s position as one of the leading retail assets in the UK today.”
Simon Phipps, Senior Director at Sovereign Centros, added: “ProCook is a perfect complement to the retailer line-up and serves to expand the range of options that Touchwood now offers. The excellent quality of retail brands, a wide mix of dining options, and a growing leisure line-up now gives its valued customers even more reasons to visit.”
The shopping centre’s management is supported by Cushman & Wakefield and Knight Frank, who are the retained leasing agents for Touchwood.
