THE owners of Exeter's Guildhall Shopping Centre say a host of new restaurant names are queuing up to come to the city.
It comes as work is set to start on a £12m development to create a "best-in-class" dining quarter.
Simon Green, of Aviva Investors, said the firm had been inundated with inquiries from national and regional operators keen to be a part of Exeter's growing eating-out scene.
Around 60 per cent of units in the Queen Street Dining development are currently under offer and talks are ongoing with other restaurant businesses.
The owners of Artigiano are in advanced talks over plans to create a flagship venue in the former Poundland building in Market Square.
The first and second-floor space would become a sophisticated late drinking lounge known as the Craft Brew House, described as a different concept from the existing cafe-bar in Exeter High Street.
A contractor is due to be appointed imminently to carry out the major revamp of the shopping centre, built in 1977, with works expected to start in the spring and be completed by spring next year.
Before then a new-look High Street entrance to the Guildhall Shopping Centre, incorporating a retail unit and four flats, is due to be finished in October this year. Two temporary malls will be created during the works to maintain access for shoppers and minimise disruption.
Mr Green said: "We are on the verge of announcing the first four or five restaurant occupiers to come into the scheme, which is really exciting.
"It's taken a little bit longer than expected because we want to get the mix right between some really high quality national and local operators. This is an opportunity to create a legacy in Exeter for the benefit of not only our investors but the city and the public as a whole.
"Everyone has been very positive about Exeter, both national and regional brands.
"We always knew there were regional occupiers keen to get into Exeter, but what we have been even more pleasantly surprised by is the quality and volume of regional and national restaurants who are seeking representation in Exeter.
"Most of the operators we are talking to have half a dozen or more restaurants but are still regional in nature, but we are also talking to operators who maybe only have one or two premises at the moment and Exeter is the natural place for them to expand into."
Mr Green said the cluster of "premium casual" eating places will feature a mix of cuisines and activity throughout the day, from breakfast to late-night socialising. Occupiers of the restaurants fronting Queen Street and the High Street retail unit are expected to be confirmed soon.
Following negotiations with prospective tenants, the plans now comprise about 10 separate units.
The redevelopment was given the green light by city council planners in May last year, and permission was later granted for an additional rooftop terrace overlooking Queen Street. Artigiano: City coffee bar owner in 'exciting' new venue talks
THE city could be in line for a chic and stylish bar, restaurant and cocktail bar that will be the envy any top-end establishment elsewhere in the country.
The owners of the contemporary, independent Artigiano Espresso Bars have confirmed they are in talks over the possibility of taking-over two floors of the Guildhall in its exciting multimillion-pound redevelopment.
Joe Hill, managing director of Artigiano Espresso Bars Ltd, was keen to stress, however, that nothing has so far been confirmed and his ideas are a vision at this early stage, but he is "excited" at the prospect of contributing further to Exeter's nighttime economy.
Adopting rustic but refined and highly in-vogue interiors, the Craft Brew House would occupy the top floor and include a roof terrace and outside fire place while specialising in craft beers, boutique wines and quality food. The craft beer terrace would boast views over the cathedral.
Downstairs, the CBH Club Lounge would ooze class and exude an up-market feel, encompassing a cocktail lounge and, it is hoped, a late night bar and club.
Joe confirmed that he has had detailed discussions with the landlord and Exeter City Council and will be meeting the licensing authorities and police to discuss the proposals in the near future.
"We are very excited about the prospect of opening a roof-top bar with a restaurant, outdoor terrace, views of the cathedral and a club lounge on the floor below," said Joe.
"We believe this will be a welcome addition to the overall development and will further enhance the evening offer in Exeter."Guildhall Centre finally gets the @recognition it deservesAs a major redevelopment of the oldest shopping centre in Exeter gets under way, Guildhall Shopping Centre manager Andrew McNeilly explains what customers can expect
I BECAME manager of the Guildhall back in 2006. It has been an exciting journey, leading a centre which has been thriving for 40 years, and it is only going to get more exciting as the redevelopment continues.
It is an honour to be part of such a successful working model. Even when Princesshay was developed only a street away, we survived, punching above our weight.
The Guildhall has not had a single redevelopment and that is quite a rare thing to say about a shopping centre with as long a history as this.
Early next year, a new food quarter will open in the Queen Street section of the centre with the addition of a luxury place to eat and drink in a refurbished building complete with a rooftop terrace overlooking both Market and St Pancras Squares. A collection of pop-up food stands throughout the centre will offer shoppers a taste of what they can enjoy in their new dining quarter.
In order to create space for the dining quarter, we have either relocated tenants such as Body Shop within the centre, or others have found alternative accommodation in Exeter.
We are committed to making the redevelopment as smooth as possible. Work has already started on the £12m scheme, which is being funded by the Guildhall's owners, Aviva Investors, although so far you could be forgiven for not knowing this even if you are in the centre most days.
Hoardings in the main square around the former Poundland unit announce the plans, with artists' impressions and the new Queen Street Dining brand. But hunt around for some hard hats and noisy workmen and you might be disappointed.
We are taking the view that it is business as usual and this means as little disruption as possible. Again, I think it is quite rare to have a major refurbishment of a shopping centre while keeping everything open. It would certainly be easier to close parts off but we don't believe that is best for our customers or tenants. Throughout this year, 80 per cent of our tenants will continue trading here and making a living and we need to ensure these big changes impact on them as little as possible.
What we will have at a later stage are two temporary malls, one from Queen Street to Market Square and one from High Street to Waterbeer Street. They will take shoppers on the final stage of the journey, the journey to completion.
It is a careful balancing act, keeping a centre open during significant work, but we are sure we will achieve it.
When the work is complete in around 12 months' time, shoppers can expect a 'wow' factor but they might also get a sense of déja vu. Computer generated images on each restaurant space will show what it will look like before it is open. What we mean is that shoppers will be able to walk around the area before the units are open and they will see a series of sneak previews. It will be like the gauze curtain in the theatre before the show begins.
This is one way we will be looking to involve local firms. We could get a London firm to come and set all this up, where it has been done before, but we are making every endeavour to let local firms have the work.
This way, we create a legacy for all of us, including the city. It was always our intention to include as many local businesses as possible throughout the process. We want to put something back into the city.
The shiny new 'limb' of the Guildhall will be the centre of the attention but the rest of the 'body' will benefit as well. There will be a spectacular new entrance from Cathedral Green, making quite a statement for the centre. It is finally getting the recognition and place on the High Street that it deserves. We have never had a proper entrance.
Everything will be open from 8am until late, so you can gear your whole day around the Guildhall, starting with breakfast and ending with dinner.
We are offering a new critical mass of restaurants on your doorstep but with the same essential shops. We are adding to what we already have, to give a greater diversity of places to eat and a shopping experience that fits in with our customers' wants, needs and diaries – all in this key, central Exeter location.
