Latest news with #Atria
Fashion Network
07-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
SGS to rebrand Atria Watford, brings back Harlequin name
What's in a name? Quite a lot actually. The operator of Atria Watford certainly feels that way as it has just announced that it's bringing back the name Harlequin to the mall. SGS Group said it's restoring the 'iconic' name as Watford's 'flagship destination enters a bold new era'. The change comes as the UK increasingly sees divided performances in its malls sector with so-called supermalls — of which Atria/Harlequin is one — leaving smaller sites trailing. That's both in terms of overall footfall/tenant sales and their ability to attract the best retailers. Calling Atria, sorry Harlequin, 'one of the country's most dynamic shopping, retail and leisure destinations', SGS said that the centre will officially revert to its 'original, much-loved name' this summer. 'Backed by overwhelming public sentiment and a deep-rooted local connection, the name change is more than nostalgic,' it explained. 'This is a strategic rebrand that reflects a significant investment drive designed to elevate the asset's retail, food, and leisure offer, enabled by the corporate restructuring of the centre's owners in 2024'. There will be 'vibrant new signage, an expressive new logo, and a brand-new website — all part of a dynamic marketing campaign led by SGS's retained agency, BWP Group'. SGS CEO Claire Barber said this year 'marks a pivotal moment for this centre. Our decision to bring back the Harlequin name is rooted in what the community told us — it's part of Watford's identity. But this is about the future, not the past. Through bold leasing, creative activation, and strategic investment, we're transforming Harlequin into a flagship destination for the region, built around experience, quality, and commercial performance'. The centre has a 'high-performing retail mix' covering a wide range of piece points including Apple, Mango, Boss, Flannels, Uniqlo, Next, Zara, Oliver Bonas, H&M, and Primark. There's also a strong leisure and dining offer there. Complemented by a curated programme of immersive events — such as the recent Self-Care Fun Fair — the overall approach is designed to 'deepen engagement, extend dwell time, and grow catchment reach'. SGS said the rebrand is 'a cornerstone' of its wider repositioning strategy 'to evolve Harlequin into a next-generation, all-day and evening destination that commands attention across the leasing, investment, and consumer markets'.
Fashion Network
07-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
SGS to rebrand Atria Watford, brings back Harlequin name
Calling Atria, sorry Harlequin, 'one of the country's most dynamic shopping, retail and leisure destinations', SGS said that the centre will officially revert to its 'original, much-loved name' this summer. 'Backed by overwhelming public sentiment and a deep-rooted local connection, the name change is more than nostalgic,' it explained. 'This is a strategic rebrand that reflects a significant investment drive designed to elevate the asset's retail, food, and leisure offer, enabled by the corporate restructuring of the centre's owners in 2024'. There will be 'vibrant new signage, an expressive new logo, and a brand-new website — all part of a dynamic marketing campaign led by SGS's retained agency, BWP Group'. SGS CEO Claire Barber said this year 'marks a pivotal moment for this centre. Our decision to bring back the Harlequin name is rooted in what the community told us — it's part of Watford's identity. But this is about the future, not the past. Through bold leasing, creative activation, and strategic investment, we're transforming Harlequin into a flagship destination for the region, built around experience, quality, and commercial performance'. The centre has a 'high-performing retail mix' covering a wide range of piece points including Apple, Mango, Boss, Flannels, Uniqlo, Next, Zara, Oliver Bonas, H&M, and Primark. There's also a strong leisure and dining offer there. Complemented by a curated programme of immersive events — such as the recent Self-Care Fun Fair — the overall approach is designed to 'deepen engagement, extend dwell time, and grow catchment reach'. SGS said the rebrand is 'a cornerstone' of its wider repositioning strategy 'to evolve Harlequin into a next-generation, all-day and evening destination that commands attention across the leasing, investment, and consumer markets'.
Fashion Network
07-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
SGS to rebrand Atria Watford, brings back Harlequin name
What's in a name? Quite a lot actually. The operator of Atria Watford certainly feels that way as it has just announced that it's bringing back the name Harlequin to the mall. SGS Group said it's restoring the 'iconic' name as Watford's 'flagship destination enters a bold new era'. The change comes as the UK increasingly sees divided performances in its malls sector with so-called supermalls — of which Atria/Harlequin is one — leaving smaller sites trailing. That's both in terms of overall footfall/tenant sales and their ability to attract the best retailers. Calling Atria, sorry Harlequin, 'one of the country's most dynamic shopping, retail and leisure destinations', SGS said that the centre will officially revert to its 'original, much-loved name' this summer. 'Backed by overwhelming public sentiment and a deep-rooted local connection, the name change is more than nostalgic,' it explained. 'This is a strategic rebrand that reflects a significant investment drive designed to elevate the asset's retail, food, and leisure offer, enabled by the corporate restructuring of the centre's owners in 2024'. There will be 'vibrant new signage, an expressive new logo, and a brand-new website — all part of a dynamic marketing campaign led by SGS's retained agency, BWP Group'. SGS CEO Claire Barber said this year 'marks a pivotal moment for this centre. Our decision to bring back the Harlequin name is rooted in what the community told us — it's part of Watford's identity. But this is about the future, not the past. Through bold leasing, creative activation, and strategic investment, we're transforming Harlequin into a flagship destination for the region, built around experience, quality, and commercial performance'. The centre has a 'high-performing retail mix' covering a wide range of piece points including Apple, Mango, Boss, Flannels, Uniqlo, Next, Zara, Oliver Bonas, H&M, and Primark. There's also a strong leisure and dining offer there. Complemented by a curated programme of immersive events — such as the recent Self-Care Fun Fair — the overall approach is designed to 'deepen engagement, extend dwell time, and grow catchment reach'. SGS said the rebrand is 'a cornerstone' of its wider repositioning strategy 'to evolve Harlequin into a next-generation, all-day and evening destination that commands attention across the leasing, investment, and consumer markets'.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Victory for shoppers as Atria Watford centre gets old name back
Victory for shoppers as centre gets old name back Just now Share Save Martin Heath BBC News, Hertfordshire Share Save SGS Group The owners have created an artist's impression of the new signage A shopping centre which has been rebranded twice in just over a decade is to get its original name back. The owners of Atria in Watford said their decision was "in direct response to overwhelming feedback". It was opened as the Harlequin in 1990, became Intu in 2013 - and changed to Atria in 2021. The Mayor of Watford said he was "delighted" by the news. The Harlequin Centre got its original name as a result of a competition in a local paper. It may have been a reference to a popular name for a nearby railway service - the Harlequin Line - so-called because it passed through both Harlesden and Queen's Park. Google The Harlequin branding, as seen on the back of the building, was in place from 1990 to 2023 The name became Intu Watford in 2013 when the parent company was taken over by Intu Properties. It was relabelled as Atria Watford in 2021, a name chosen to reflect the skylights across its roof. But a campaign began almost immediately to bring back the Harlequin moniker. Getty Images The centre was renamed Atria Watford in 2021 The owners, SGS Group, said the original name would return in the summer because they had "a deep respect for the town's heritage and place great importance on connecting with Watford's residents and understanding what matters to them". The centre will also have an "exuberant" new logo, fresh signage and a new website. Centre director, Simon Plum, said: "For over 20 years, its name represented more than just a shopping opportunity. "This isn't about looking back, it's about embracing what makes Harlequin special." Peter Taylor, the Mayor of Watford, said the Harlequin name had always been special to people in the town Watford's elected mayor, Peter Taylor, said: "I am delighted that the owners have restored this name for our town's shopping centre. "The Harlequin name has always been special to many people in Watford." Reacting to the news on social media, many Watford residents said they always called the centre by its original name whatever it may have said over the door. Atria is one of the UK's largest in-town shopping centres and the owners said it had had its highest ever number of visitors last year. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
New York Times
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Criminally Good New Murder Mysteries
The Mystery of the Crooked Man Sometimes you know immediately that a book is going to get under your skin and stay there. I felt that way only a few pages into Spencer's tart debut, THE MYSTERY OF THE CROOKED MAN (Pushkin Vertigo, 319 pp., paperback, $18.95), which vaults the reader into the world of Agatha Dorn, an irritable archivist and passionate devotee of mystery fiction — particularly the work of Gladden Green (think Agatha Christie through a fun-house mirror.) When Agatha discovers what appears to be a lost manuscript by Green, one with the potential to tilt the author's legacy on its axis, she becomes famous. It's not long before 'The Dog's Ball,' as the book is called, is revealed to be a hoax. Then Agatha's ex-girlfriend — who had warned her to 'be careful' with the manuscript — dies by suicide. Or did she? Agatha, who's been canceled, thinks otherwise. Is Agatha 'a crazy woman, haphazardly but unmistakably drifting down and out, sick, unemployed, drunk, obsessed with solving a murder that had never occurred?' Or 'a maverick, pursuing truth and justice … even at the cost of [her] own well-being?' Maybe she's both. Murder at Gulls Nest Nora Breen, the plucky, practical sleuth in MURDER AT GULLS NEST (Atria, 323 pp., $28.99) has checked into the Gulls Nest boardinghouse in an English seaside town in 1954. She's there to find her friend Frieda, who has been writing faithfully to her each week until, abruptly, she doesn't. Ominously, Frieda's last letter had concluded, 'I believe every one of us at Gulls Nest is concealing some kind of secret — I shall make it my business to find out and so I shall finally have something riveting to write to you, dear friend!' Nora arrives at Gulls Nest with some secrets of her own, such as the fact that she spent 30 years as a Carmelite nun, Sister Agnes of Christ. To investigate her friend's disappearance, Nora must leave behind the part of herself that clamored for the solitude of a religious order and live fully in the world, embracing its chaos. It isn't easy, especially when another guest at Gulls Nest turns up dead, poisoned by cyanide. Frieda's handkerchief is tucked into one of his pockets. Kidd's turn to cozy mysteries after several genre-stretching novels is a welcome one that tantalizes the prospect of more installments. As Nora adroitly observes, 'There's work to be done and deductions to be made.' Midnight in Soap Lake Sullivan is channeling 'Twin Peaks' in his latest novel, MIDNIGHT IN SOAP LAKE (Hanover Square Press, 409 pp., $28.99). Not only because of the Pacific Northwest setting, but because of the spookiness that permeates the narrative, thanks to a mineral-filled lake imbued with potentially otherworldly properties and a mythic, creepy figure called 'TreeTop' who has terrorized the area for decades. Abigail and her scientist husband, Eli, have just moved to Soap Lake. Having expected 'ferns and rain, ale and slugs, Sasquatch and wool,' she's somewhat disconcerted to find they'll be living in the desert, 'scabby with dark basalt, bristled with the husks of flowers.' Not long after Eli decamps to Poland for some research, she's on a walk when she encounters a terrified little boy, caked in dried blood. It turns out his mother, Esme, has been murdered. That night, when Abigail gets home, a strange man wearing goggles, his mouth 'shrouded in white fabric,' taps on her window with a latex-gloved finger. Is it TreeTop? As he moves back and forth in time between Esme's childhood in Soap Lake and Abigail's present-day sleuthing, Sullivan evokes the richness of a small-town community as well as the secrets-filled uneasiness simmering just below its placid surface. Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) I appreciate the recent uptick in books featuring sleuths of a seasoned age, particularly ones as prickly, opinionated and delightful as Vera Wong, who returns for her second outing in VERA WONG'S GUIDE TO SNOOPING (ON A DEAD MAN)(Berkley, 324 pp., paperback, $19). After the thrill of investigating a homicide case in 'Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers,' all Vera wants is to be surrounded by family — biological and chosen — in her beloved Bay Area tea shop, where she can dispense food, drink and advice (lots of it, mostly unsolicited). There's just one problem: She's bored. 'Sometimes, all an old lady wants is a murder to solve. Is that too much to ask for?' Then Vera meets a young woman rattled by the disappearance of a friend who, it turns out, is the social media influencer Xander Lin. It soon transpires that he has died in murky circumstances, and everything about him — real name, money sources, family background — is made up. Vera, undaunted, assembles a crew of friends and begins to unearth the dark secrets at the heart of Xander's short life. Further adventures cannot arrive fast enough.
