Two new tenants create over a dozen new jobs at the Merrion Centre

Thu 07 May, 2015

Top British butcher Crawshaws Butchers is set to open a store at Leeds’ Merrion Centre along with new trend in tea, Bubble Bubble.

Town Centre Securities PLC (TCS) has just completed two new deals, which have created up to 17 new jobs in the city centre.

TCS has brokered a 10-year lease with renowned Yorkshire butcher Crawshaws Butchers, to secure the opening of its 24th store, coming to the Merrion Centre. The iconic butcher’s latest venture will see it recruit 12-15 new staff members over the next few weeks.

The Merrion Centre also welcomed the new Taiwanese bubble-tea shop, Bubble Bubble, at the end of March, seeing two new positions filled and room for three additional part time recruits over the six-month lease.

Crawshaws’ opening is the first step in Crawshaws Butchers’ ambitious plans to grow its portfolio to 200 stores over the next eight years. The new 962sq-foot store will receive a full refurbishment before opening its doors mid-May.

Crawshaws Butchers already has 23 stores across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Humberside with sites in Sheffield, Derby and Grimsby and a head office in Rotherham.

Kevin Boyd, managing director of Crawshaws Butchers, said: “We can’t wait to open the doors of our new Merrion Centre shop.

“After a three year wait I’ve finally got the site that I’ve been looking for! It’s a fantastic centre with great footfall and it’s a really up and coming area – the Arena Quarter is growing all of the time and we’re excited to be part of it.

We’re confident that our fresh, high quality meats will be a big hit with shoppers, nearby office employees and students. With the finest cuts of meat and gold award winning sausages our offering of high quality produce at great prices is going to be hard to resist.”

Bubble Bubble’s opening follows a £10,000 investment into the store located in the mini market, and brings a taste of the Far East to the people of West Yorkshire. The unit aims to offers a boutique vintage tearoom feel to customers.

Its main attraction will be bubble tea – a Taiwanese drink made using tapioca balls that has taken the UK by storm since being brought to our shores in 2011.

Bubble Bubble Founder Yan Jiechao comments: “Bubble tea has become increasingly popular in the last four years. The concept is particularly popular with young people, and the Merrion Centre was chosen as the ideal location with thousands of students and shoppers passing through the doors every day.”

Helen Green, associate director for Town Centre Securities said: “We are pleased to welcome Crawshaws Butchers and Bubble Bubble to the Merrion Centre. The two new offerings give our customers even more choice. It’s great that the Merrion Centre can accommodate traditional stores like Crawshaws Butchers but also appeal to more cosmopolitan establishments like Bubble Bubble. This mix and wide range is what makes the Merrion Centre unique and a success.