British perfume house, Penhaligon’s, has signed to open at Guildford’s new retail and dining development, Tunsgate Quarter. This will be the retailers first standalone store in Surrey.
The perfumery, established in 1870, will open a 527 sq ft store at the 80,000 sq ft scheme in the heart of Guildford town centre. The highly respected brand will bring something new to the mix of lifestyle retailers and dining operators. Tunsgate Quarter is home to top retail and dining brands including The Ivy Castle View, OKA, The White Company, lululemon, Loaf, Cath Kidston, Bobbi Brown, Nespresso, David Clulow, Seasalt, Fitness Space, Cosy Club and Pho.
Lance Patterson, Chief Executive Officer at Penhaligon’s, said: “We chose Guildford’s Tunsgate Quarter as the location for our first store in Surrey as the affluent catchment, the design of the scheme and the tenant mix are very much in-line with our own brand values. The scheme gives us a prominent location in the town centre and we’re looking forward to introducing our range of products to a new audience.”
Granted its first Royal Warrant by Queen Alexandra in 1903, the perfume house specialises in creating innovative fragrances that tell a story, taking inspiration from the unexpected and its own archives, dating back to the Victorian era. It will offer a wide range of luxury fragrances for women and men as well as gifts, scented candles and grooming products. Penhaligon’s is the seventh new brand that Tunsgate Quarter has attracted to Guildford for the first time, since it opened in March this year.
Stuart Harris, Commercial Director and Co-Founder at Queensberry, said: “As a prestigious heritage brand, Penhaligon’s is a good fit for Tunsgate Quarter with the centre’s own heritage woven into its design and our vision for the scheme. The retailer will complement our mix of premium lifestyle brands and will create another reason for shoppers to visit.”
The centre’s design has also taken inspiration from the art-deco style cinema that once occupied the site, with entrance gateposts of that style topped with handmade feature nickel lamps. The internal public artwork installation pays homage to Guildford’s historic connections to the arts and crafts movement and the once locally grown woad flower. Research has shown that the name Guildford can be traced back to the words ‘gold’ and ‘ford’. Historically, golden flowers thought to be the woad flower, were found near the ford and are frequently cited as the source of the town’s name.
Developed by Queensberry and asset managed by CBRE, Tunsgate Quarter is 80% let or in solicitors’ hands. The scheme offers an expanded retail and leisure hub for Guildford. It has created an improved thoroughfare, positioning the centre as an extension to the High Street and linking it with both Castle Street and the independent and lifestyle retailers of the adjacent Tunsgate, such as Rigby & Peller, Farrow & Ball, Kalm Kitchen Café and Ikon.
Joint leasing agents are Bruce Gillingham Pollard and Cushman & Wakefield.
