FIRST SHOPS CONFIRMED.

The Elephant has revealed its first wave of retailers. M&S anchors an 8,600 sq ft food hall. Blank Street Coffee previews this summer. DistriAndina, the Latin food market currently in the railway arches, relocates to a permanent spot. Jungle Berry brings a wellness cafe. A five-screen cinema rounds it out.

Around 40 units in total across shopping, dining, wellness and leisure. Retail rents discounted for local traders: a condition of the planning approval, not a goodwill gesture.

The development opens late 2026 with 485 rental homes, 172 of them classed as affordable. DistriAndina moving from the railway arches to a permanent spot inside the new development is worth noting. Not many independent traders from the old centre made the transition.