2008June February The streat café franchise goes from strength to strength with the recent opening of a new outlet at Unit 6, Library Court, Ballyhackamore in East Belfast – a letting which was negotiated by Osborne King. The latest addition to the company’s franchise portfolio is operated by husband and wife team Paul and Sarah McMaster. Sarah is a former employee of the company and relished the opportunity to open her own business. The 26-seater café at Ballyhackmore is the first outlet within the group to feature a range of design changes marking the streat’s evolving brand strategy. The streat, Ireland’s award winning cafe chain brings its customers ‘food with thought’, specialising in fantastic coffee and fabulous food all day ranging from fresh healthy handcrafted sandwiches salads and wraps to gourmet coffees and speciality teas, sit in or ‘grab & go’. Sarah will be running a seven day operation opening Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, opening late on Thursday and Friday to 9pm. Saturday and Sunday hours are from 9-5pm and 10-4pm respectively. These design changes include the introduction of mood lighting in order to ‘zone’ the cafe and provide a variety of private and social areas within one space while a new colour scheme of creams, cinnamon and orange create a warm, welcoming and relaxing atmosphere. Dark wood finishes take prominence at the deli and serving counter which is complemented by the mixed texture floor finish of wood and marble effect. Meanwhile, the introduction of sepia and colour coffee and lifestyle prints around the walls builds on the already fresh modern appeal of cafe. The streat at Ballyhackamore also offers wifi facilities, now standard in all new streat outlets in addition to excellent facilities for customers with disabilities. Commenting on the new design format, Nikki McQuillan one of the founders of the streat said: "We are delighted with the new look - we have 28 cafes across Ireland and Scotland and no two cafes are ever totally the same. We understand that you can never stand still in this business but we have to be mindful not to lose, but to build, the attraction that the streat holds for our loyal customers. We want to keep the streat brand fresh for the consumer and we are delighted that Sarah and the Ballyhackamore team are our latest additions to the network and wish them every success." Chris Sweeney of Osborne King who negotiated the letting to the streat added: "Ballyhackamore is an up and coming district within East Belfast which is experiencing significant growth and regeneration. The streat is the latest in a line of established brand names to decide to invest in the area which not only enhances the current range of amenities available to people living and working in the immediate vicinity, but also provides an important economic boost on a longer-term basis." Founded by husband and wife team, Michael and Nikki McQuillan in 1999, the streat has launched its successful café franchise in Scotland and is on target to open 25 outlets in the next three years. The franchise arm of the operation dates from 2003 and there are currently 28 franchisees in operation throughout Ireland and Scotland with additional new openings planned for the coming months. The site on which Tivoli Court stands has long historical associations with the locality stretching back to an earlier incarnation as The Tivoli, a 1000-seater cinema which opened in 1955 and quickly established itself as one of South Belfast’s most popular cinemas before finally closing its doors sometime in 1975. During the early 1980s, the by-now derelict site was acquired by the developer’s father and converted into a car showroom, which traded successfully until a few years ago when the decision was taken to demolish the existing premises and re-develop it as a new mixed-used complex. Chris Sweeney of Osborne King who has negotiated the lettings at Tivoli Court to date comments:- "This new development has revitalised the crossroads on which it stands both in terms of creating a new shopping core and other economic spin-offs such as employment opportunities. There’s no doubt also that Tivoli Court benefits from its strategic location and is surrounded by a healthy mix of commercial and residential accommodation, and we had relatively little trouble in being able to attract an appropriate range of tenants who will enhance the current retail offer within the area." The tenant line-up at Tivoli Court includes Cedarmount Dental Practice, TMC Mortgages and Estate Agents, Moto Style, Shine Hair Company and The Streat. The original premises comprising ground- floor retail units and first-floor offices have been completely renovated and now boast an additional storey of apartments enjoying commanding views over Belfast Lough. The redevelopment of the scheme, which was carried out under Gregory Architects’ supervision includes extensive site improvement works with planting, decorative railings and hard landscaping all combining to create a quality environment for residents and customers alike. More than half of scheme’s retail element has been let with current tenants including the Co-operative (including a Post Office), Curley’s off-licence, hairdressers, florist and Indian and Chinese takeaways. Recent deals include a letting to a Bathroom retailer, which is anticipated to open shortly and a beautician’s salon. It is envisaged that once the entire residential development is complete there will be in excess of one hundred new residents living on the complex bringing additional revenue to the retail operators. All of the apartments were sold prior to construction with prices starting from £170,000 upwards. The now completed retail element of the scheme has attracted significant interest from prospective tenants according to Mark Carron of Osborne King who are letting agents for the scheme: "Throne View’s highly prominent location on the Whitewell Road means that it will attract business from the wider community in Newtownabbey as well as its on-site resident population, making it suitable to a variety of different retailers. At the moment there are a limited number of opportunities still available, however we anticipate announcing a full tenant line up in the near future. Based on the complementary users already in the scheme, we feel that this will prove to be a very attractive proposition to opticians, pharmacists, mortgage shops or coffee/sandwich shops." With extensive landscaping works, new boundary fences, improved lighting and communal areas underway, Throne View looks set to become a vibrant new destination for both the new residents and local community alike. |
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