Leeds Corn Exchange to be city's first 'food emporium'

The Corn Exchange in Leeds is being relaunched as the city's first "food emporium" and is calling on hospitality operators to get involved.

The 150-year-old Grade I-listed building is undergoing a £1.5m refurbishment that will see it transformed from a shopping centre to a foodie destination featuring a range of operators offering regional, national and international cuisine.

Adrian Johnson, partner at Central Retail, which is marketing the centre to potential operators, said that the project creates an exciting prospect for Leeds.

"The scheme will serve a very large and diverse regional customer profile, drawing from neighbouring towns and cities as well as Leeds," he said. "We are speaking to a number of branded restaurant operators to establish a new 'statement' restaurant in the lower-level piazza, with panoramic views of the refurbished interior."

Separately, Cheapside, in the City of London, is to undergo a multimillion-pound revamp by 2012 that will turn it into a shopping and leisure attraction with increased retail space of about 140,000sq m.

By Kerstin Kühn

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