Miniso opens in Basingstoke's successful Festival Place

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Dec 16, 2022

Lifestyle variety products retailer Miniso has begun a 10-year lease for a 2,913 sq ft store at Basingstoke’s Festival Place shopping centre The new store becomes its 13th in the UK, the second in the South East England and the first in Hampshire.

Simon Barrett, Managing Director and Head of Asset Management at the centre’s owner/operator AEW, said: “The opening of a brand new Miniso store… is a great endorsement for the transformation that has taken place at Festival Place under AEW’s leadership. With a unique product offering, Miniso will provide customers with a one-of-a-kind retail experience and complement our extensive mix of international brands.”

Its arrival is part of a strategic leasing programme over the past 18 months has seen the 20-year-old Festival Place continue strong retail activity including recent deals with Ted Baker, H&M, and Skechers. In total, 25 new leases/lease renewals have been agreed since the beginning of 2021, while footfall has now returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Having acquired Festival Place in 2015, AEW claims Festival Place is the highest ranked shopping centre outside a major UK city with the 1.1 million sq ft destination also featuring major fashion bands including H&M, M&S and Next.