Solihull Town Centre’s restaurant offering is set to receive a significant boost as a brand new Carluccio’s has been secured by IM Properties at its Mell Square shopping centre.
The Italian restaurant, will be taking a 3,444 sq ft restaurant on the ground floor of a brand new four-storey building, situated on the corner of High Street and Drury Lane.
IM Properties received planning consent earlier this year to demolish two existing units, formerly occupied by Thomas Cook and Johnson’s Dry Cleaners, and construct the new 12,626 sq ft mixed-use building, with three floors of Grade A offices above the restaurant.
Rob Hemus, Asset Manager at IM Properties, said: “This corner plot, which links Mell Square to the High Street will be a key gateway into the scheme and it’s fantastic that we’ve been able to confirm Carluccio’s, who have been looking to get into Solihull for well over three years as the new occupier for restaurant unit.
“The combination of this new restaurant space and the Grade A offices above is a perfect statement of our intent for Mell Square. We want to create a vibrant, contemporary mixed-use location that will help to drive Solihull’s continued prosperity.”
Demolition work is underway and the development will be completed by the end of the year.
Alison Stanton Carluccio’s, said: “This is a perfect gateway location between the High Street and Mell Square, with a great level of prominence. The design for the space is ideal for us and we are very pleased to be working with IM Properties to secure our first restaurant in Solihull.”
Warwickshire-based IM Properties – one of the UK’s largest privately-owned property investment and development groups – acquired the 747,000 sq ft Mell Square development from Aviva for £44 million in 2013. The company has since acquired other property holdings on the site, with its overall ownership now including 101 retail units, 57 apartments, four office buildings and parking for 252 cars.
The developer’s long-term plan is to enhance Mell Square, creating an aspirational mixed –use destination by improving the tenant mix, flow of consumers, footfall and dwell time, ultimately boosting Solihull Town Centre’s offering and its evening economy.