Q&A with Graham Figes, retained agent for Slater Menswear

Name: Graham Figes

Role: Retained agent for Slater Menswear

Who are Slater Menswear?

Established in Glasgow in 1904 as a tailors shop, the business first moved into retail in 1973 and are now reputed as the UK’s favourite menswear store.

We offerLandlords an excellent covenant and a no-nonsense approach to negotiations.Moreover we are happy to support Landlords and developers with forward commitments on asset management / development propositions where our operational requirements can be incorporated at an early stage into projects.

‍

How many locations do Slater Menswear currently have?

26 stores across mainland UK from Inverness to Bristol and Bromley to Swansea.

‍

Target locations?

Major city centres only - Prime or good secondary High Street locations are being actively sought. Think ex- Top Man / Top Shop, New Look or similar. Positioning within enclosed shopping centres is unsuitable, but we will consider representation where a store can trade 100% externally, and to its own customer hours.

‍

How many new locations are you targeting?

We currently have 12 priority targets – please refer to the attached requirements brochure

‍

Size requirements?

Minimum 8,000sq ft, ideally 10,000sq ft and possibly larger depending upon the opportunity. Whilst the traditional SlaterMenswear format of a single level first  floor trading footplate with ground floor access lobby will still be considered, preference will be given to new sites offering ground floor only representation, or two level representation where a majority of the sales accommodation is presented at ground floor.

‍

Additional requirements?

Back of house/ storage is limited, say c. 2,000sq ft, and can be accommodated at an ancillary level.

‍

Planning consent? 

Class 1 (Scotland)  / Class E (England & Wales)

‍

Freehold or Leasehold?

Leasehold only

‍

Recent openings or new locations in the pipeline? 

Our most recent opening was the relocation of the Preston store to prime Fishergate: originally scheduled to open in 2020 the new store finally opened post-covid in 2022. We currently have two deals in the pipeline, one an extension of an existing store together with a completely new location to be made public January 2023

‍

Additional Questions:

‍

What are the main challenges you face when acquiring new property?

Any transaction inevitably involves a multitude of professionals, so maintaining the momentum is key if target dates are to be achieved

Favourite occupier and why?

‍I’m extremely fickle; retail is constantly re-inventing itself, so anything fresh is always welcome. However I do have a great fondness for John Lewis who manage to retail a terrific range of products for each category they cover without the stores ever feeling cluttered. Estate agents windows are a must if you’re a property professional. Oh….and any antique shop.

What is your favourite building?

‍York and Canterbury Cathedrals, together with the Duomo di Siena are pretty hard to beat.

Favourite retail or leisure destination?

‍Too many to choose – Tuscany, Suffolk, Cornwall and Northumbria are all on my list, but the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is simply unbeatable.

Contact details?

Email – graham@wbf.co.uk

Tel – 0141221 6161 / 07710 556678

Graham Figes, Whitelaw Baikie Figes. 81 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5TF

‍

Requirement Flyer

‍