AN EXCITING leisure complex which opened its doors in Sunderland just over
a year ago is celebrating being fully let and creating more than 200 jobs.
Despite opening during the pandemic,
STACK Seaburn has become a huge hit
with its mix of street food offerings,
lifestyle businesses and entertainment,
with more than 700,000 people having
visited.
And now all its 12 available units to let
have been filled by independent
businesses, following a carefully curated
procedure to ensure that the right mix of
traders took up residence.
Gemma Dishman, marketing and
special projects manager for the Danieli
Group which owns STACK, said the
emphasis has always been on attracting
the right kind of operators.
“It was very important to us from the
outset that we attracted businesses for
the external units that would not offer
traditional retail products which are
increasingly being purchased online,” said
Gemma.
“Our focus has been on recruiting
lifestyle businesses such as the
barbershop and brow bar, or Woofs N
Scruffs who complement their traditional
retail offer of dog supplies with dog
grooming and self-serve dog baths.
“We know that food will always bring
people out of their homes, so we have
also curated a wide variety of street food
traders selling everything from Greek
gyros to brownies, smoothies and posh
Kebabs.”
One of the latest traders to join STACK
Seaburn is TV MasterChef the
Professional Matei Baran who has taken a
double unit and opened
POSHSTREETFOOD as a casual dine in
restaurant, serving his unique posh
Kebabs which are a fusion of fine dining
and hearty street food.
Chef Matei, who reached the
MasterChef quarter final in 2016 said:
“These are complex dishes and we
don’t cut corners, hence the name of the
business. I’m proud of what we’re doing
and couldn’t be more excited about
coming to STACK Seaburn. I was
convinced it was the perfect location the
first time I visited.”
For some of the traders their unit at
Stack Seaburn are an expansion of an
existing business but for others it is their
very first venture. Laura Benson is 19 and
wanted to open her own brow bar rather
than go to university. With the support of
her parents and the team at STACK she
has been able to make this dream a reality
with her business, Arch.
“The small units and low rent at
STACK have made this all possible,” said
Laura.
“I have received so much support from
the STACK team including marketing and
business start-up advice. This gave me the
confidence to make my business idea a
reality and I now have a regular client
base that continues to grow.”
Ross Laing started out as a barber over
20 years ago, but then his other passion
for music took centre stage as he joined a
band and played regular gigs all over the
country for the last 5 years. Due to Covid
and the many lockdowns which stopped
all live music in 2020 he decided he
wanted to return to barbering, but this
time with his own shop.
“Not being able to travel or play in the
band has been difficult but it gave me the
opportunity to revisit my ambition of
running my own barber shop. I’ve looked for premises before but not found the
right space. After a visit to STACK for a
night out, I knew this would be the
perfect place to take the plunge and open
my first business,” said Ross.
“I have been able to put my individual
stamp on the unit, filling it with my
personality and my love for music and so
far, all of my customers have loved the
space. Being able to pop in for a pint after
a trim has also been a real bonus.”
Other lifestyle traders at STACK
Seaburn include The Little Cakery by the
Sea, So Smooth Co, Games Cabin and
Woofs N Scruffs.
The flexible design of the complex
means that it can easily be adapted to suit
the needs of new traders and give
customers a refreshed offer. New street
food traders include Big Fat Indian
Kitchen and Bao Down which have taken
units on the upstairs plaza, offering
everything from Chicken Tikka Naan
Wraps to Katsu Prawn Bao Buns.
Danieli Group CEO, Neil Winch said:
“STACK is a hub where independent
businesses can prosper, and we do
everything we can to drive footfall to the
venue to ensure they all have the
opportunity for success. We spend over
£20k a month on free entertainment for
our customers to keep bringing them back
time and time again. We also support the
traders with marketing through our social
media channels, emailers and our big
screens to help raise their profile.
“We’re delighted that all of this activity
has helped grow their businesses and
given the confidence to new traders to fill
up all the available units.”
STACK is a major asset in the
regeneration of Sunderland’s coastal area
and has provided a much-needed boost to
the leisure economy. It has increased
employment opportunities locally having
recruited over 100 staff to work directly at
the venue alongside the 100 staff
employed by the traders. The venue is
attracting visitors from the wider region
and with the Inn Collection hotel next
door there is fantastic opportunity for
Seaburn to become a popular seaside
destination in the UK.
