The UK’s first high-tech Ninja Tag assault course has been unveiled at a brand-new trampoline and adventure park in Festival Place, North Hampshire’s pre-eminent shopping centre. Flip Out Basingstoke will feature over 50 trampolines including some of Britain’s largest ones, and is due to open this month, in time for Christmas.
Festival Place in Basingstoke is a top 20 UK shopping centre, according to Trevor Wood Associates, putting it in the Premier Division of leading destinations. It was acquired by AEW, on behalf of clients, in December 2015 with a vision to modernise and create an improved shopping offer and environment for customers.
With Ninja Tag, competitors use interactive, wearable technology to monitor their movements around obstacles to record and rank their speed, strategy, bravery and agility. The venue, which also features interactive climbing walls, a full-size Lamborghini and 28ft super slides, offers parties, events and activities, as well as autism friendly sessions.
Russell Jewell, Head of Private Equity Funds at AEW, said: “We’re determined to create a family-friendly shopping and leisure destination that matches the town and catchment. Basingstoke is the 7th most affluent town in the UK. In addition to 1.7 million people within thirty-minutes’ drive time, we have some 11,500 office workers within walking distance. As a result, annual footfall has risen to 22.4 million, up from 20 million before our acquisition.”
AEW’s vision is to create a retail, dining and leisure destination that appeals to the whole family. The leisure offer at the centre features a newly refurbished 10-screen Vue Cinema, a health club with a six-lane, 25 metre swimming pool, a community library branded Basingstoke Discovery Centre plus 12 casual dining restaurants including Nando’s, wagamama, PizzaExpress, Patisserie Valerie, Las Iguanas, Ask Italian and GBK.
Festival Place is home to over 200 retail, dining and leisure brands, anchored by Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and Next. Big brand stores include Apple, H&M, Zara, SuperDry, Jack & Jones, River Island, Beaverbrooks, Fat Face, GAP and Office.
Adding to this line up, AEW has signed up a quartet of new brands to the 1.1 million sq ft destination. Savers, a UK discount chain, will offer a variety of health, beauty, household goods and fragrances from a 4,900 sq ft store. Cool! Merch, a quirky, independent retailer of gifts and clothing, has chosen Festival Place for its second store, taking a 2,900 sq ft unit. Wafflemeister will sell handmade Belgian Liege waffles plus Italian-style gelato and coffee having signed up for 100 sq ft. Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe is a confectionery store chain which will offers a range of boiled sweet products in a 400 sq ft Victorian-style shop.
In two years under AEW’s management, Festival Place has undergone a major redevelopment programme to modernise the centre, enhance the customer experience and attract new tenants. The refurbishment included a significant upgrade to the public realm, the introduction of double height shopfronts, new entrances, lighting, paving and seating to create a modern and inviting shopping and dining attraction.
Work to transform the open-air St John’s Square and significantly improve the public realm will be completed in December 2017. This busy entrance includes the pedestrian route from the main line railway station. JD Sports, the UK’s leading trainer and sports fashion retailer, which has been at Festival Place since 2002, has extended its lease, rightsized and relocated to a new 7,500 sq ft unit in St John’s Square demonstrating confidence in the scheme.
Joint agents for Festival Place are Lunson Mitchenall and Cushman & Wakefield. CBRE is the managing agent for the centre.
