In what can be only described as an avalanche of arrivals, The City of London’s new Broadgate Central mall is about to welcome eight new retail businesses this autumn, including some big brands.
Molton Brown
The British Land-operated shopping centre close to Liverpool Street station has announced 16,000 sq ft of retail and dining deals for Broadgate Central. This brings the new retail and leisure space on the ground and lower ground floors of the recently-completed 1 Broadgate to “79% let or under offer, with good interest on the remaining space”, British Land added.
So who’s taking up residence? Health & beauty giant Boots is opening Boots Fragrance, its first-ever fragrance-only boutique; high-end beauty/lifestyle brand Molton Brown is expanding its London presence; heritage menswear brand Moss is also doing the same, while hair removal specialist Strip and established barber Murdock London complete the new arrivals line-up.
They will join a number of high-profile fashion brands already secured for the scheme, including Mango, Luca Faloni, Hobbs and Whistles.
Broadgate Central spans the ground and lower ground floors of 1 Broadgate and 100 Liverpool Street, linking Liverpool Street station to Finsbury Avenue Square with 120,000 sq ft of retail and hospitality space.
Kelly Cleveland, head of Real Estate and Investment at British Land, said: “We’re seeing fantastic leasing momentum across Broadgate, with a diverse mix of retail and leisure brands choosing the campus to grow their presence in central London. These latest lettings build on recent announcements and reflect the enduring appeal of Broadgate’s location, connectivity and curated offer.”
The wider Broadgate complex boasts 289,000 sq ft of retail, hospitality, and leisure space, and the new arrivals join an already strong roster including Tommy Hilfiger, beauty specialist Space NK and jeweller Monica Vinader.
McQueen is aiming to attract attention to its SS26 pre-collection launch with a special installation in its store in the heart of fashion’s capital city, Paris.
McQueen
To celebrate the launch, the label has collaborated with well-known photographer Dafydd Jones, on the installation that features some of his most definitive works, curated by McQueen’s creative director Seán McGirr.
The Rue Saint-Honoré store installation includes 26 of Jones’s original works on public display. The curated selection sits alongside the McQueen pre-collection, “for which these photographs form a core inspiration”.
The installation has just launched and will be in the store until 29 January.
So who is Dafydd Jones? The British photographer is celebrated for his “sharp, satirical depictions of social life, particularly in the 1980s. His career began with prize-winning images of Oxford’s ‘Bright Young Things’, leading to decades of work published in major titles”.
And as well as being in the McQueen store for a limited period, his photos are held in collections including the National Portrait Gallery and the V&A in London.
Francesco Murano, My Style Bags and Acbc were among the winners of the ninth edition of the Young Businesses awards by Italian luxury industry association Altagamma.
The 2025 edition’s winners
Two emerging labels were recognised in the Fashion category. The first was Francesco Murano, founded in 2020 by the eponymous designer, an award winner with CNMI, Altaroma and LVMH. Francesco Murano has been a regular at Milan Fashion Week since February. The second was My Style Bags, a brand founded in 2008 in Milan by Giuseppe Bellora, Lorenza Bellora and Stefano Donadel Campbell, specialised in travel bags and accessories made with fine fabrics.
The award for the Innovation category went to green solutions specialist Acbc, founded in 2017 and now a partner of over 150 international names, including Corneliani, Gucci Watch, Kering Eyewear, Max Mara, Missoni and Versace. Acbc helps them develop green strategies and design sustainable products and environmentally friendly collections.
The other prize-winners were Slalom for object design, Pola Grande Gioielli for jewellery, Portrait Milano for the hotel business, Lávika for wellness and beauty, Ice Yachts for the nautical design and automotive category, and Molino Pasini for food.
The awards, introduced by Altagamma in 2015 in collaboration with Borsa Italiana, Elite-Gruppo Euronext and SDA Bocconi, recognise emerging brands within Italy’s luxury sectors. The winning companies join Altagamma for a year, and will be able to take part in exclusive training and networking sessions, focusing on business strategy and consultancy.
“In the last nine years, Altagamma has created and pursued with dedication this project set up with Franca Sozzani, aimed at spotlighting the stars of the future, the emerging companies that will be the new protagonists of Italian luxury,” said Stefania Lazzaroni, managing director of Altagamma. “These brands have all it takes to become paradigms of Italian excellence in seven different sectors. Since 2015, 64 companies have been recognised by the awards. Many have become established, some have joined Altagamma, and they have all been part of our community for some time,” concluded Lazzaroni.
In the run-up to Christmas Boots is stepping up its gift-delivered-direct-to-the-door offer with delivery partners Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat, offering a within-30-minutes target.
Boots
The upgrade follows a surge of on-demand orders from “thousands of customers” on Christmas Eve last year. And it pointed to research that shows 56% leave some of their Christmas shopping to the very last day, so “the retailer is primed for another busy Christmas Eve”.
The health & beauty giant’s on-demand deliveries are now available from 500 stores across the UK, and in selected locations across the country, very-last-minute customers can order up until midnight on Christmas Eve “and will still receive their shopping in time for the big day”.
Boots said last-minute shoppers can choose from over 10,000 products with over 1,600 Christmas gifts available. Customers can also order up until Monday 22 December for Click & Collect in-store, and 23 December for next-day home delivery.
Paula Bobbett, chief Data and Digital officer at Boots, said: “We want to make it even easier for our customers who find themselves shopping right up to the last moment. Boots on-demand can help change that final dash into an easy delivery. We’re here to make shopping feel joyful, not stressful, helping shoppers find thoughtful gifts quickly and easily, even if they’ve missed online order cut-offs or store opening hours.”