Wednesday snapshot: other news in brief
The Co-operative Group is aiming to create 1,500 new jobs through the opening of 100 stores in the UK.
According to the BBC, the group will spend £70 million on stores in London, the south east of England, Yorkshire and Scotland. Five stores in London will open by the end of March.
WH Smith has expanded its footprint at Sydney Airport by launching its fifth store in a series of new shops across the T1 international terminal. Having reached terms to operate the travel essentials concession in Terminal 1 in 2015, the book and stationery retailer has now opened a 230 square metre store in the new airside premium retail area known as the Marketplace.
Next has opened a 43,000 square foot flagship store at Newtownabbey’s Abbey Centre as part of a transformation of the centre by its owner NewRiver REIT. The new store doubles the number of jobs and brings the total figure at Next in Abbey Centre to 60.
NewRiver REIT has created 55,000 square feet of new retail space at the Abbey Centre since acquiring the centre in August 2014. Along with the new lettings, a number of existing retailers such as Holland & Barrett, Vogue and Argento have upsized into larger units within the centre.
