Trio of new F&B lettings secured at St Christopher’s Place

BMO Commercial Property Trust, managed by pan-European property investment and asset management specialist BMO Real Estate Partners, has completed a trio of new lettings at its St Christopher’s Place central London estate. San Carlo Restaurant Group has now agreed to take 6,000 sq ft of space on a 15 year lease at the former Carluccio's unit on Barrett Street for a new Italian restaurant concept, which will feature a 200-cover dining room and two outdoor dining terraces. San Carlo is owned by the Distefano family whose portfolio contains 21 restaurants including Alto by San Carlo; The Rooftop, Selfridges; Signor Sassi on Knightsbridge Green; Cicchetti Piccadilly and Covent Garden. Sidechick, a new restaurant focusing on roast chicken from the team behind Patty & Bun, has also signed up to a new 10 year lease taking 1,125 sq ft of space for a 50-cover site with an outdoor terrace area. Patty & Bun joined St Christopher’s Place in 2012 as a pop-up restaurant, before converting to a permanent tenant. In addition, the Indian street food inspired Papa-dum is “looking to build upon the success” of its ‘grab and go’ format in Farringdon. It has taken 1,147 sq ft space on a 10 year lease for its new restaurant, featuring an external dining area. BMO Commercial Property Trust said the three restaurant lettings reflect the “ongoing appetite” among occupiers for established locations, particularly those with extensive al fresco dining. The “carefully curated” tenant line up at St Christopher’s Place, coupled with the pedestrianisation of certain roads following the relaxation of lockdown measures on 12 April 2021, has seen strong levels of footfall with the number of daily visitors to the estate exceeding an average pre-pandemic day. It said these new restaurants will add to the energy of James Street and will continue to drive the area's vibrant food and beverage offering. Commenting on the lettings, Richard Kirby, director, Property Funds, at BMO REP said: “We continue to see demand from quality occupiers to join the thriving St Christopher’s Place tenant line up, despite the short-term challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. “We believe the heart of the estate’s appeal is our ability to attract relevant and contemporary brands, which create a vibrant and appealing destination, that customers love to discover, and return to.” He added: “These lettings demonstrate that there continues to be demand from successful operators to join established, well located destinations. We look forward to our new restaurants and shops welcoming customers in through their doors, in the coming months.”