Morley, advised by Strutt & Parker and DTZ, has signed leading fashion retailer Next PLC as a further anchor tenant at The Lanes Shopping Centre in Carlisle. The retailer has taken Unit 79 Peascod Lane, which totals 13,389 sq ft, on a 15 year lease, at a rent of £315,000 per annum.

The Lanes is a 55,741 sq m (600,000 sq ft) shopping centre in Carlisle city centre. As well as Next, other large stores include Debenhams, Bhs, Newlook, H&M and Virgin. The average weekly footfall is approximately 220,000.

In addition, Morley has secured a further two tenants, as follows:

• The UK gift and gadget retailer, Hawkins Bazaar, has taken Unit 4 (7 Globe Lane), totalling 1,716 sq ft, on a ten year lease, at a rent of £89,000 per annum. William Gunter Hardwick advised Hawkins Bazaar.

• Nail Bar, Touch, has taken, Unit 90 (East Tower Lane), totalling 70 sq ft, on a five year lease, at a rent of £4,000 per annum, rising to £5,200 per annum in their third year. Touch were unrepresented.

Edward Sellick of Morley Fund Management, comments:

“The relocation of Next to The Lanes extends its strong mix of retailers and demonstrates confidence in the centre underlining the dominance of The Lanes in its catchment."

James Taylor of Strutt & Parker’s Retail Department, comments:

“The line up of popular high street retailers has already made The Lanes the main retail destination for the Cumbria region. These recent deals are a good reflection of Morley’s active management of the centre and demonstrate the level of demand from a range of national and independent retailers for a presence in the city.”

ENDS