Retail destinations have always had to evolve with their customers, but the pace of that change feels particularly apparent now. People still want strong brands, convenience and choice, but increasingly they also expect the places they visit to offer something more distinctive – experiences they can share and concepts that reflect the culture and interests shaping their everyday lives.
That shift has important implications for how destinations think about their tenant mix. It is no longer enough to focus solely on filling units with familiar names, however important those names remain. The strongest destinations are becoming more varied, combining established retail with food, leisure and culturally relevant brands that give people different reasons to visit and, vitally, reasons to stay longer.
We have seen that clearly at Eldon Square with the opening of Oseyo. The Korean food and lifestyle retailer has opened its first North East location with us and, at 20,000 sq ft, its largest store to date. The scale of the store is significant, but what is more interesting is the way the concept brings together Asian groceries, fresh produce, beauty and lifestyle products with interactive elements including a Ramyun Library, Korean-style photobooths, Japanese claw machines and tasting areas.
It is a good example of how retail is becoming broader than the transaction itself. Someone may visit Oseyo with a particular product in mind, but the experience ends up encouraging them to browse and spend time in the space. It also reflects a wider cultural interest that many consumers, particularly younger audiences, are already engaging with through food, beauty, music and social media. Bringing that into a physical retail environment creates an entirely different kind of relationship between the customer and the brand.
That connection between online culture and physical experience is increasingly important and something we are seeing across our retailer partners. Indeed, Dave’s Hot Chicken, which recently made its North East debut at Eldon Square, is another example. It is a highly recognisable, visually distinctive brand that has grown much of its following through social media. For many customers, their first interaction with a brand like Dave’s will have happened online long before they visit in person. Dave’s success shows that physical retail and social media are not necessarily competing forces, in fact, they can go hand in hand.
The same is true of leisure. Freight Island, which opened in June 2026 at Eldon Square, has demonstrated how the boundaries between shopping, hospitality and entertainment are becoming less defined, bringing together food, drink and immersive entertainment, including screenings of events such as the World Cup. Flight Club, the interactive darts destination, similarly brings together competitive socialising, hospitality and entertainment, creating an experience that gives visitors a reason to stay longer and use Eldon Square beyond traditional retail occasions. These kinds of spaces help change the way people use a destination, extending visits beyond traditional shopping trips and creating reasons to come at different times of the day.
For us, diversification is about building relevance. We know that consumers are increasingly selective about where they spend their time, and destinations have to earn that time by offering more than a functional shopping trip. The opportunity is to create places where retail, food, leisure and culture work together naturally, giving people multiple reasons to visit.
Ultimately, the destinations that remain competitive will be those that continue to respond to how people want to shop, socialise and spend their time. For Eldon Square, that means continuing to introduce brands and concepts that add something genuinely distinctive to the wider offer, while ensuring the destination remains relevant to the people who already know and use it.
For more information on Eldon Square’s recent new openings, please visit: https://eldonsquare.co.uk/