Greggs to open first drive-thru site in Wales

16 March 2021
  • Greggs 1st drive-thru in Wales site acquired by Cooke & Arkwright
  • Greggs 1st drive-thru in Wales site acquired by Cooke & Arkwright

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Greggs is to open its first drive-thru outlet in Wales in summer 2021. Cooke & Arkwright’s Retail & Leisure agency have recently agreed terms and have exchanged contracts on a new-build site on Fabian Way, Swansea and construction work is now underway. It is expected to open in July.

The new Greggs drive-thru is the first in Wales following a handful of successful pilots in England.

Steve Jones, Estate Surveyor at Greggs said, “We anticipate that our drive-thru sites will become popular with busy families and people on the go. It is a resilient formula in general and has proven to be especially convenient for people during the pandemic restrictions. We are delighted to be bringing drive-thru’s to our customers in Wales with the first scheduled to open in Swansea in July.”

Huw Thomas, Director of Retail & Leisure at Cooke & Arkwright said that and in addition to Fabian Way, Swansea, Greggs have exchanged on two other locations in Wales.  Huw said, “The drive-thru model is quickly becoming part of Greggs’ continuing expansion plan in Wales. We have been sourcing highly visible plots with good accessibility in prominent roadside locations as well as on established retail, business and industrial parks. We are pleased to confirm that we have secured the first three drive-thru sites in Wales with more in the pipeline.

“In addition to the new drive thru’s, we have also exchanged on several new shop openings for both 2021 and 2022 at Cross Hands Business Park; Brynmawr Retail Park; Mariner Street, Swansea; Cymmer Road, Porth; and Newport Retail Park, with many more currently in solicitors’ hands.”

Cooke & Arkwright secured new shop openings for Greggs in 2020, most of which were on non-high street locations in Cardiff, Barry, Pengam, Cwmbran, Pontyclun, Merthyr, Mumbles and Chepstow.

Greggs now occupies high streets, retail parks, shopping centres, industrial estates office and business parks, shops in travel hubs, motorway services, Universities, and busy roadside locations with parking.

Cooke & Arkwright have been providing rating valuation advice to The Welsh Rugby Union Limited (“WRU”) and Millennium Stadium plc for many years. They were recently successful in achieving substantial reductions in the assessments of the Millennium Stadium, covering both the 2005 and 2010 rating list. These negotiated reductions yielded savings of c.£3.5m which, crucially, allows the WRU to re-invest in rugby throughout Wales. They advise the WRU across the group portfolio including the National Centre of Excellence in the Vale of Glamorgan. The valuation issues across the WRU portfolio are complex requiring a high level of understanding of the funding and finances of professional sport in Wales. Cooke & Arkwright’s experience and understanding of these issues and application to the rating valuation have yielded these substantial negotiated reductions. The WRU and the Millennium Stadium entrust our work to organisations with the required levels in experience and expertise in dealing with these complex issues. I am glad to say we have this expertise in Wales. I would have no hesitation in recommending ratepayers making use of this Welsh based expertise.

Steve Phillips, Group Finance Director, Welsh Rugby Union Group