Member Article

Big Lukes negotiate further ten years at Metrocentre

An independent buffet restaurant chain, which claims to be the first ‘all-you-can-eat’ on Tyneside, has signed a new 10-year lease at the Metrocentre.

Big Lukes, which moved to the Metrocentre site from its Newcastle restaurant in 1998, has managed to hold its own against major international chains.

Owner Mark Harford said the move would allow Big Lukes to explore potential expansion opportunities at other locations.

The business was advised by Newcastle’s Hay & Kilner Solicitors.

He said: “By having a secure future in the Metrocentre for another 10 years, we can continue to build on our success and look forward to offering even more great quality food coupled with great value over the next decade.

“With the lease secured for us by Hay & Kilner we can reinvest confidently and maintain our growth and continue to hold our position within the Metrocentre while also exploring new avenues in some prime locations around the country.”

Richard Freeman-Wallace, partner at Hay & Kilner and one of the North East’s mostprominent commercial property lawyers, worked closely with Big Lukes to finalise the new lease agreement.

He said: “In these tough times, it is certainly refreshing to see an independent, customer- facing business prospering, especially given the level of competition Big Lukes faces from several multinational chains located nearby.

“The lease agreement is a great vote of confidence for both the Big Lukes brand itself andfor the Metrocentre as one of Europe’s most thriving shopping centres.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .