Street Soccer opens store at Ocean Terminal.

Street Soccer opens store at Ocean Terminal. Bullring Estate adds local flavour with new pho restaurant

Street Soccer, the youth charity supported by Sir Alex Ferguson, opens its first ‘community store’ at Ocean Terminal, the waterfront shopping centre in Leith, Edinburgh.

The Dugout, occupies 1,750 sq ft unit on the first of the centre’s three floors of retail and leisure space and will be used for a combination of retail sales, and meeting and chill out places for the young people the charity supports.

Established in 2009, Street Soccer is a social enterprise which uses football inspired training and development as a means to empower young people to make positive changes in their lives. The Dugout, opening when lockdown rules ease in Scotland on 26 April, represents the evolving retail model, where the purpose of physical stores is changing to a more hybrid format to meet the needs of the local community.

Michelle Macleod, Ocean Terminal’s Centre Manager, said:

“The nature of the retail industry has been evolving and changing for some time and we have always felt it important to respond to the significant regeneration happening within our local community. The Dugout is an example of how retail space can be used effectively to create something different and exciting for local people and we are delighted to welcome Street Soccer to Ocean Terminal.

“As a centre we have always sought to innovate and adapt, such as through our leisure partnerships and our connections with the local community. Events of the past year have provided further opportunity to reassess and re-evaluate the shopping experience of the future. Right now, the space that the centre has to offer means we can provide a safe and comfortable place to shop and as COVID restrictions allow, we are ready to welcome visitors back with some new offerings as well as old favourites.”

Bullring Estate adds local flavour with new pho restaurant

Hammerson has announced that Birmingham-based Vietnamese Street Kitchen (VSK) has joined the line-up at the the Bullring Estate.

In a relocation from Birmingham’s Brindleyplace, VSK, an independent, family-run business has taken a 140-cover, 3,640 sq ft space opposite Selfridges. Set amidst the Bullring’s St Martin’s Square dining and leisure hub, its heated outdoor terrace is now open in line with government restrictions, and perfectly suited to al fresco dining. The indoor space is set to open on the 17 May, in line with the Government’s roadmap for England.

The restaurant has a cocktail bar on the first floor, with dining on the ground floor showcasing the best dishes from Vietnam, including Pho, Banh Mi, rice bowls, and an array of traditional street snacks.

Iain Mitchell, UK Commercial Director at Hammerson, said: “We know that our customers at Bullring & Grand Central love to support emerging and Birmingham based brands, and we’re always looking for exciting and innovative operators that bring something new to a destination. VSK does just that, offering fresh and authentic Vietnamese flavours that add to the Bullring Estates’s vibrant mix of world cuisines. We are pleased to welcome VSK to the Bullring Estate alongside safely welcoming back our much-missed brands and customers.”

Oliver Ngo, General Manager at VSK, added: “As an independent, family-owned brand from Birmingham, Bullring has long been a target destination for us. We’re now at a site that is big and central enough to bring our food and hospitality to Brummies on the biggest scale possible. Our food is tasty, affordable, and fresh, and authentic to both traditional and modern Vietnamese cooking. This new type of offer is perfect for the Bullring visitor, and we are delighted to be welcoming customers into the restaurant in a Covid-secure manner.”

The safety and wellbeing of its customers, colleagues and retailers is Bullring’s number one priority, and it has introduced a range of measures to keep people safe. These include: the centre’s Crowd Checker, available via Bullring’s website, that helps customers plan their visit by providing live updates on footfall in real-time; a one-way system; fixed hand sanitiser stations; and clear signage to remind shoppers of the need to social distance.

VSK has also introduced its own safety measures, including sanitising stations, socially distanced outdoor seating, table service, one way systems, and mandatory mask wearing for staff and customers as recommended by the lastest Government guidelines.

source https://klinkerbud.medium.com/street-soccer-opens-store-at-ocean-terminal-fdcd87f5fb46?source=rss-8a287f9546ea------2