Tender deadline delayed at new London rail terminal

Emily Pacey

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London & Continental Railways has extended the deadline for tenders to operate post-security retail at the new St Pancras International rail terminal

Retailers have been granted more time to submit tenders for post-security retail at the new Eurostar rail terminal at London St Pancras International station, RavenFox.com can reveal. The original deadline for the tender, which covers over 300sq m (3,228sq ft) of retail space, was today (May 29), but a source close to terminal owner London & Continental Railways (LCR) suggested it had been disappointed with submissions so far–although he did not specify whether it was upset with the number or the quality of submissions.

RavenFox.com understands that the tender was handled for LCR by a third-party real estate agent, which published the tender and was charged with overseeing the tender and selection process. But the source said: “The deadline for proposals is being extended to make sure that the Eurostar airside area features the best retail offer possible. It is not certain that the original agents hired to solicit proposals from retailers understood the requirements.”

The exact length of the extension has yet to be determined, but it will have to take into account the terminal’s opening date of November 14, by which time all facilities must be operational. The bidding covered three lots, with companies allowed to bid for any or all of the spaces. The initial plan included mention of a 145sq m (1,560sq ft) bar area, a news and convenience concept of under 100sq m (1,076sq ft) and a coffee and light snacks outlet of 88sq m (947sq ft). But the source said that the company was now prepared to be more flexible. “This is just one option for the way the footprint could be divided,” he said.

Among the likely bidders are Alpha Retail, following CEO Peter Williams’ public comments in which he identified the tender as one of three key strategic opportunities for the group this year; and French operator Aelia, which already runs airside retail at the Eurostar terminal at Paris Gare du Nord. Given the “any or all” nature of the contracts, specialist bar and catering operators are also likely to have registered their interest.

The source said that he hoped the delay would allow submissions that would match the quality of the retail offer in the landside area of the terminal. He said: “The types of retailer we have attracted there, the division of the footprint of the station, and the mix of high street and boutique retailers has resulted in a unique retail environment for a railway station. We thought that there was an opportunity to carry this quality through to the airside retail area. The deadline is being extended to help make sure that happens.”