Festival Place to boost fashion with Jack Wills

Preppy British fashion brand Jack Wills is to open a new store in Basingstoke’s Festival Place, boosting the fashion offering at the AEW-owned centre, which includes Marks and Spencer, Debenhams, and Next.

Jack Wills will open a 2,800 square foot store offering its range of British-heritage inspired men’s and women’s clothing. It will sit alongside other fashion retailers including H&M, Zara, Superdry, Jack and Jones, JD, River Island, Moss Bros, Fat Face, Gap and Office.

Neil Beaman, property director at Jack Wills, said in a press release: “Festival Place is the ideal location for our first Basingstoke store. Improvements to the centre and the strong catchment profile means we’re confident of trading well.

“For more than 18 years, Jack Wills has focused on the highest quality clothing and a spirited and inspired youthful appeal, epitomising what it is to be British, irreverent and carefree. We are looking forward to opening and providing Hampshire customers with more choice.”

Real estate asset managers AEW acquired Festival Place in 2015 and since then has signed 25 new leases and 57 existing tenants have renewed their leases with several choosing to upgrade, upsize or relocate within the centre. In addition, during the two-and-a-half years footfall has increased by more than two million, taking the annual total to 22.4 million customers.

As well as Jack Wills it has also signed a lease deal with restaurant chain Côte Brasserie, which is another new name for the town, who will be opening a 3,350 square foot restaurant.

Russell Jewell, head of private equity funds at AEW, added: “These latest brands demonstrate the high-quality, aspirational brands that the scheme continues to attract. Both names are opening in the town for the first time, joining an appealing line-up of retailers and dining operators. Our overall refurbishment, combined with upgrades by tenants, will continue to make Festival Place even more enticing.”

Image: courtesy of AEW/Festival Place