Black Sheep, an artisanal coffee shop company with a strong focus on ethical trading, has signed up to open a 1,600 sq ft café at Quintain’s £3bn Wembley Park transformation, one of Europe’s largest urban regeneration projects. With speciality-grade coffee, craft beers, high-quality food throughout the day and an array of cocktails, the specialist brand fits well with the overriding development vision of creating welcoming social spaces for local residents, nearby office workers and visitors to meet and relax.
Matt Slade, Retail Director at Quintain, said: “Wembley Park’s regeneration reflects a seismic shift in the changing lifestyles of millennials, evolving consumer demand and modern city living. This is carefully considered across the whole of our site, from the 5,000 new build-to-rent homes, managed by Tipi, to the retail, dining and leisure, which will link together to bring about a vibrant community spirit. The Black Sheep coffee shop, with its relaxed atmosphere and appealing all day offering, firmly demonstrates the type of brands we have been attracting. We hope to announce more names in the coming months.”
Positioned on Olympic Way, which connects Wembley Park tube station to the scheme, Blacksheep will be located in The Village, one of the four distinct districts that make up the 85-acre mixed-use site. Opening this summer, it will add to the ground-breaking brands that will encapsulate the Wembley Park character. Boxpark Wembley, due to open towards the end of 2018, is the third and largest in London and will feature 27 independent restaurants, bars and cafés.
Additionally, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre is set to open later this year in the former Fountain Studios, with a programme of 200 shows a year which will attract up to 360,000 visitors.
Wembley Park is set to attract over 20 million visitors a year, with £328m annual retail spend predicted, putting it ahead of London districts such as Camden, Victoria and Ealing Broadway. The majority of retail and leisure will be completed by 2020. It will be home to over 40 new shops, restaurants and services, complementing the current retail and casual dining offer at London Designer Outlet (LDO), the capital’s leading fashion and lifestyle outlet centre.
The overall vision for Wembley Park includes the largest build-to-rent development on a single site in the UK, which will be home to 20,000 full time residents. Managed by Tipi, residents will have access to a host of convenience and community-led services, including shared amenity spaces, a 24/7 concierge and utility bills included within the rent.
In its ambition to create a new premier neighbourhood for North London, Quintain is also committed to delivering a programme of community engagement initiatives. Yellow Pavilion provides social space for a variety of workshops for those that live, work and study in the area. The Second Floor Studios & Arts (SFSA) project provides affordable studio space to creatives. Until September, a ‘Summer of Play’ will feature a curated season of over 300 hours of free arts and entertainment, including a major new public art installation by renowned London-based street artist, Remi Rough. The Mayor of London’s International Busking Day relocated from Trafalgar Square to Wembley Park this July, which further solidifies how Wembley Park is transforming into one of the most dynamic and creative places in London.
Quintain has its own Wembley Park Retail team headed by Matt Slade. Agents for Wembley Park are Nash Bond and Cushman & Wakefield.
