Two national restaurant brands, Cosy Club and Turtle Bay, are set to open at The Riverwalk in Durham in 2018. Cosy Club and Turtle Bay will both be opening their first restaurants in Durham as part of the redevelopment of The Riverwalk by a fund managed by Clearbell Capital.
Cosy Club, the informal casual dining, drinking and lounging family friendly environment will be opening a 5,300 sq ft first floor restaurant on a 15-year lease. Caribbean restaurant and bar Turtle Bay has also signed a lease for a 4,700 sq ft two level unit.
The announcement follows the opening of The Riverwalk’s first restaurant, Thai River, in Phase 1 during December 2016. Turtle Bay and Cosy Club will be joining ODEON Cinemas and Handmade Burger Co in Phase 2 at the redeveloped centre, which on completion will include a variety of restaurants, 23 refurbished shops and 253 student rooms. The redevelopment creates improved entrances and public realm areas, which will enhance the city’s amenities both during the day and at night.
Raj Manek of Cosy Club, said: “We are looking forward to opening our first Cosy Club in the North East of England at The Riverwalk. Having started out in Bristol in 2002, our growth strategy will see us continue to open over 20 new restaurants a year, in locations across the length and breadth of the UK.
Nick Berry, Partner at Clearbell Capital added: “Welcoming both Turtle Bay and Cosy Club to The Riverwalk will allow us to expand our retail and leisure offering in Durham city centre and complement our diverse tenant mix.
“This is an exciting time for Durham as we continue to work on creating a truly mixed-use centre that will cultivate the local Durham economy and deliver improvements to the city’s day and night-time offering.”
Shoppers are still able to access designated areas of The Riverwalk while construction takes place.
The Other Retail Group is providing asset management and development advice for The Riverwalk. Cushman & Wakefield is the restaurant & leisure leasing agent for The Riverwalk. Jackson Criss acted for Turtle Bay, while Insight Retail acted for Cosy Club.
