4th Mar 2025 11:06
NewRiver REIT plc
("NewRiver" or the "Company" or the "Group")
New Sainsbury's in Dumfries Retail Park
· | New 15 year lease to Sainsbury's for a 48,100 sq ft unit in Cuckoo Bridge Retail Park in Dumfries |
· | New Sainsbury's store reactivates former Homebase unit and demonstrates strong demand for NewRiver's retail park portfolio |
· | Improved terms at a rent 60% above both previous rent and valuer's ERV |
· | Creates the first Sainsbury's in Dumfries and new jobs |
· | This letting demonstrates the strength of the UK retail market and the important role of the physical store network for omni-channel operators. |
NewRiver announces a new letting to Sainsbury's at Cuckoo Bridge Retail Park in Dumfries, creating the first Sainsbury's store in the area.
Sainsbury's has taken a new 15 year lease on the former Homebase store on improved rental terms 60% above both the previous rent of Homebase and valuer's ERV.
The new Sainsbury's store will deliver a new high-quality, yet affordable new grocery offer to Dumfries, complementing the existing strong offer including B&M, Dunelm, Food Warehouse, Costa Coffee and a Next click & collect pod. Cuckoo Bridge Retail Park is well-located, serving as the dominant retail park in Dumfries.
Sainsbury's has submitted a change of use application to Dumfries and Galloway Council and subject to approval, the new store is due to open in early 2026, and will create new jobs with the supermarket employing a team of at least 100 Sainsbury's colleagues.
NewRiver owns 13 retail parks and manages a further 18 retail parks on behalf of its capital partners. Cuckoo Bridge Retail Park in Dumfries was acquired by NewRiver in June 2016 and is owned 100% on balance sheet.
Allan Lockhart, CEO of NewRiver, commented: "Sainsbury's is one of our leading retail partners and the introduction of a new Sainsbury's to the Dumfries area demonstrates the strength of the UK retail market and role of the physical store network for omni-channel operators. The new Sainsbury's promptly reactivates the recently vacant Homebase store and will create new jobs and a new supermarket offer for locals, providing high quality, great value products to our consumers. We continue to see active demand for our retail parks, a sub-sector we expect to continue to grow our investment in."
Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury's Chief Property and Procurement Officer, MD of Smart Charge, said: "As we progress with our Next Level Sainsbury's plan, and our commitment to bring more of our food offer to more customers, we are focused on delivering fantastic new supermarkets in key locations where we know they will succeed. This supermarket will showcase some of the best of Sainsbury's, and we're excited to bring a new store to Dumfries for the first time.
We have a great pipeline of new store investment planned in Scotland, with three new Scottish Sainsbury's stores opened already in 2025, and we're delighted to have the chance to add another supermarket to it. We look forward to sharing more details about our plans with elected representatives and the local community in the coming weeks."
Ends
For further information
NewRiver REIT plc | +44 (0)20 3328 5800 | ||||
Allan Lockhart (Chief Executive) Will Hobman (Chief Financial Officer) Lucy Mitchell (Director - Communications) | |||||
FTI Consulting |
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| +44 (0)20 3727 1000 |
Dido Laurimore Giles Barrie |
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About NewRiver
NewRiver REIT plc ('NewRiver') is a leading Real Estate Investment Trust specialising in buying, managing and developing resilient retail assets throughout the UK.
Following the completion of its acquisition of Capital & Regional in December 2024, NewRiver has a £0.9 billion UK wide portfolio covering 8.2 million sq ft, comprising 28 community shopping centres and 13 conveniently located retail parks occupied by tenants predominately focused on essential goods and services. In addition, we manage 22 shopping centres and 18 retail parks on behalf of Capital Partners, taking our total Assets Under Management to £2.5 billion. Our objective is to own and manage the most resilient retail portfolio in the UK, focused on retail parks, core shopping centres and regeneration opportunities to deliver long-term attractive recurring income returns and capital growth for our shareholders.
NewRiver is listed on the Equity shares (commercial companies) category of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (ticker: NRR). Visit www.nrr.co.uk for further information.
LEI Number: 2138004GX1VAUMH66L31
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