Jamie Oliver’s restaurant chain Jamie’s Italian is planning to open in Harrogate before Easter 2014, in a new town centre development by Lateral Property Group.
Harrogate and London based property developer Lateral has submitted a planning application for a town centre scheme at 33-51 Parliament Street, comprising five restaurants directly adjacent to the famous Royal Baths. Jamie’s Italian has signed an Agreement for Lease for a two-storey unit which will anchor the scheme. Construction will start in May 2013.
Lateral’s letting agents, Tracey Pollard from Bruce Gillingham Pollard and Ewan Mackay from SGM Property Consultants, are in detailed discussions with operators for the other units.
Jamie Oliver opened the first Jamie’s Italian restaurant in Oxford in 2008. There are now 30 Jamie’s Italian restaurants in the UK, as well as branches in Dubai, Sydney and Dublin. The chain’s other upcoming openings include Aberdeen, Perth in Australia and St Petersburg.
Philip Lunn, Managing Director of Lateral Property Group, said: “Jamie’s is a real coup for Harrogate. We have worked for a number of years on initiatives to strengthen Parliament Street and this letting is an endorsement of its position as the town’s prime leisure and restaurant destination.”
Tracey Pollard, director of Bruce Gillingham Pollard, said she expected restaurants in the new scheme to thrive because of the town’s high level of disposable income.
She said: “Harrogate’s typical household spend is higher than the likes of Wimbledon, Oxford and Richmond upon Thames. The town has a great collection of quality fashion and homeware brands, but the quality and scale of its catering offer is limited. This collection of restaurants, anchored by Jamie’s Italian, will give Harrogate the catering offer it deserves.”
Lateral has an ongoing relationship with Jamie’s Italian. It recently developed the chain’s restaurant at Lendal Cellars in York, which involved redeveloping a Grade 2* listed building to provide a striking interior for diners. The Lendal Cellars restaurant opened in July 2012.
