Property giants Land Securities and Hammerson have kick-started talks with retailers about taking space in upcoming shopping centres.
Hammerson has begun negotiations with retailers for several shopping centre developments that had been stalled in the recession, according to the Financial Times.
They include £600m Sevenstone in Sheffield and the 1.5 million sq ft Eastgate Quarter in Leeds.
The UK’s largest property developer Land Securities is in discussions over a centre in Glasgow, and has already revealed plans for a new centre in Leeds, called Trinity Leeds, which opens in 2013.
New shopping centre developments have been in short supply since the onset of the recession, with schemes being frozen due to lack of funds and due to retailers curtailing expansion plans.
Construction has fallen to just over a quarter of 2007 levels. There is a pipeline of 61.2 million sq metres but research by property agent CB Richard Ellis found construction has yet to start on 90% of them.
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