Retailers make £5m investment in Derby

JD, New Look and Ann Summers are set to open new stores at Derbion, the Derby shopping centre, in a move that marks an investment of over £5m.

Trainer and sports fashion retailer JD will more than double the size of its existing 9,397 sq ft store at Derbion. Set to open in Q4 this year, the new 20,175 sq ft flagship unit will showcase brands including Nike, Adidas, The North Face, Jordan and EA7.

New Look will be moving to a new location within the centre. The new 10,000 sq ft store will open in Autumn and feature womenswear, 915, brands and concessions, footwear, accessories and lingerie.

Ann Summers is also moving to a new location within the centre with a new store design.

Managing director at Derbion, Beth McDonald, said: “Over the past three years our leasing strategy has transformed Derbion, securing a host of new retail and leisure brands including Frasers, H&M Home and Rituals. Last year alone, 13 new brands opened their doors at the centre.

“Our strategy has always been to broaden our range of retailers whilst at the same time support existing brands to deliver on their full potential through best-in-class stores. As the centre continues to evolve, investing alongside our retailers to ensure they have the right sized store in the right location, positioned alongside complementary brands, is a key part of our forward planning.

“This long-term commitment by JD, New Look and Ann Summers is testament to the success that our retailers can achieve here at Derbion.”

James Air, director, head of group acquisitions at JD, said: “We are delighted to have secured a fantastic new JD store in Derbion, which will have a footprint that is 50% larger than our old store, whilst featuring our very latest store design. This significantly larger space will allow us to stock a much wider range and we are sure our customers will love the latest premium shopping environment.”

Peter Rodgers, head of retail at New Look, said: “We are pleased to be opening in a new location in Derbion and look forward to welcoming our customers through our doors again. At New Look we are focused on executing our omnichannel strategy, and having thriving stores in convenient locations to our customers is a key part of this.”

A spokesperson from Ann Summers added: “We have invested in enhancing our store estate through relocating to new locations, repurposing and right sizing existing stores. We look forward to celebrating the opening of our new Derbion store with our customers soon.”

Over £5.2m was invested at Derbion in 2023, through new lettings, store refurbishments and upsizing.