Harvey Nichols serves up festive foods to Bristol shoppers
From Monday, November 2 to Christmas Eve, the store will be showcasing an extensive range of treats, including hampers and gift boxes.
Store manager Sue Stones said; "Our Foodmarket has proved extremely popular so we're delighted to be opening a larger space in Quakers Friars in time for the Christmas period.
"Our buyers have created a fantastic festive offer to cater for any budget, including hampers full of hand-selected products from Harvey Nichols' range of more than 600 own-label products."
Rebecca Low, of the chain's head office said; "A small shop is not something we would normally do, but we are confident that there is a market for the products, and it will do well.
"Products on offer include Harvey Nichols mini mince pies, Marc de Champagne Christmas puddings and luxury chocolates, together with top picks from the Harvey Nichols Wine Shop."
Cabot Circus is planning to embrace festive shopping again this year. Centre director Richard Belt said: "The weeks leading up to Christmas are always full of excitement and we aim to reflect this time of year as we kick off our festivities on November 12. Our Christmas lights generated a fantastic reaction when we unveiled them for the first time in 2008 and we hope the German market will add a new dimension to this year's celebrations."
In taking the place of homeware shop Lombok, the Harvey Nichols food store will be filling one of the empty spaces created by retailers hitting hard times during the year.
Principles, Cruise, Ghost and Zawi all closed in Cabot Circus' first year. The opening of several new shops, including Harvery Nichols, has therefore has thrilled centre manager, James Bailey.
"We are delighted to be welcoming these new tenants, which offer wide appeal and will continue to attract visitors to Bristol's revitalised city centre.
"Although 2009 has been a challenging year for retailers nationally – and we have indeed seen some store closures – this latest surge of lettings from well-respected brands demonstrates continued confidence in Bristol.
"Cabot Circus is now almost 95 per cent let, which is well above the national average. The new jobs created will also provide a welcome boost to the city's economy."
The opening of the Harvey Nichols food store is being joined by several other new shops, including that of men's clothing store, Colonel Mustard, which boasts a salon and secluded rooftop terrace. Owned by Bristol fashion mogul, John Cook, it will be on Penn Street and occupy more than 3,000 sq ft over three floors.
Colonel Mustard will launch tomorrow with a grand party featuring girl band Candy Rock and the promise of some special celebrity guests.
Mr Cook, 32, from Hambrook, anticipates a positive reaction from the male population. He said: "We've got a great location. I've been wanting somewhere like this for a long time.
"In my opinion, Bristol is missing out on independent fashion shops because there is so much mass market stuff out there. I think that men are loyal to independent shops."
Mr Cook, who owned William Francis and Fate Clothing, said he knows what fashions men in Bristol want better than anyone else.
Electricals shop Currys Digital and upmarket travel agent Kuoni have also both recently opened inside the shopping centre, hot on the heels of The Disney Store, Tie Rack, Specsavers, Joules and North Face.
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