Major high street retailers hit out at the dwindling development pipeline for causing uncertainty to their expansion plans.
Speaking at BCSC conference in Liverpool this morning, Adrian Trotter, regional estates manager at Next, said that the uncertainty of store deliverability was his biggest problem.
He said: “One of the major problems is when you anticipate a store opening but then you find it has drifted. You have to be innovative to satisfy the space requirement. The uncertainty of deliverability can be very frustrating.”
James Gilhooley (pictured), head of property at Waitrose, agreed: “Waitrose looks for 10 stores every year. It’s frustrating waiting for product to come through. We have to sign leases for three to five years, looking forward.”
annabel.dixon@estatesgazette.com
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