Wandsworth's Southside bolsters fashion line-up

Retailers are waking up to what is on offer at Southside in South London, Portfolio Holdings' redevelopment of Wandsworth's Arndale in affluent Southwest London.

Next is fitting out a 12,500 sq ft (1,160 sq m) store, which is due to open in October. BB Coffee & Muffins has recently moved in, as has Caffe Nero.

Shelly's parent Barratts, which traded under its Priceless Shoes fascia during the redevelopment, has opened under its main Barratts fascia.

With Next also secured, key fashion retailer River Island is being targeted.

Alex Coffey, a retail surveyor at Cushman & Wakefield Healey & Baker, which is letting the scheme with Angermann Goddard & Loyd, said: 'It will enable us to target the fashion market from a stronger position.'

Bay Trading and Monsoon/Accessorize have already shown an interest in Southside's Central fashion mall, where Zone As reach£120 per sq ft (£1,292 per sq m).

Additional space has been freed up on Central Mall, with the shutters coming down on Dixons and German sex shop Beate Uhse.

Dixons has closed as part of its high street exit strategy, while the latter operation has opted to pull out of the UK altogether.

Specsavers has taken a unit in Southside's more affordable North Mall, where T-Mobile, Robert Dyas, Snappy Snaps and Flight Centre have also made offers for units. Either Woolworths, or one of the discount fashion retailers, are in line for North Mall's largest vacant unit.

Southside's South Mall is fully let, after Mothercare, which quit the former Arndale Centre four years ago, took the last remaining unit.