Source: City of Preston
29 May 2025
Preston City Council has announced Asian inspired Japanese restaurant, Wagamama is to open at its newly launched £45million Animate leisure scheme, which has been delivered by Maple Grove Developments.
Positioned between Taco Bell and Mad Giant Food Hall, Wagamama has taken a 4,125 sq ft unit on a 15-year lease. The fit out is due to commence imminently and will be open to customers early this summer.
Open seven days a week, the new restaurant will create 55 new jobs and marks Wagamama’s 167th restaurant in the UK and Ireland and its 59th in the North. The deal means that just one final unit (10,270 sq ft) offering social space on the upper level is now available.
Animate was officially opened in February by Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park, with many of the tenants including Ask Italian, Argento Lounge, Taco Bell Hollywood Bowl and ARC Cinemas now trading.
Sita Wood, head of brand activation (restaurants) at Wagamama said:
“We’re incredibly excited to be opening our doors in preston, to meet local demand. our team are hard at work training for our opening, and we can’t wait to welcome our locals to enjoy their fresh favourites on our benches.”
Cllr Wise at Preston City Council said:
“Animate has proven to be an in-demand venue for leisure operators and Wagamama deciding to open a restaurant here is a significant vote of confidence in the destination. It will prove to be a popular restaurant, stimulating additional footfall in the Harris Quarter, catalysing further investment, and boosting our local economy, central to our Community Wealth Building model.”
Speaking about the arrival of Wagamama John Brady, at Bradys, joint agents for the scheme with Smith Young, commented:
“Securing Wagamama is a strong endorsement of Preston’s growing appeal as a vibrant retail and leisure destination. The brand brings with it a loyal following and a reputation for quality, which will not only further enhance the visitor experience but also support the wider regeneration of the area by driving increased footfall.”
The flagship scheme is one of six major projects in Preston’s Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Programme, a £200m programme, including £20.9m of funding by the government to support several regeneration projects.
About Maple Grove Developments
Maple Grove Developments is part of the Eric Wright Group. Founded in 1923, the Eric Wright Group is a leading property and construction company that develops, builds and maintains the UK’s infrastructure.
Wholly owned by the Eric Wright Charitable Trust, the Group is committed to delivering employment and regeneration opportunities in the communities in which it operates in. All company profits are either invested back into the Eric Wright Group or awarded to charities and projects, predominately throughout the North West, which support young persons’ wellbeing, elderly services, education and training, health or carers’ support.
The Eric Wright Charitable Trust owns and operates Water Park Lakeland Adventure Centre in Cumbria and is an employer partner and sponsor of the Eric Wright Learning Foundation at Preston’s College, which supports young people aged 14+ studying Level 1 – 3 vocational courses and Apprenticeships.
Based at Bamber Bridge, near Preston, the Eric Wright Group comprises seven specialist divisions that regularly collaborate to deliver joined-up approaches with outstanding results and maintain strong relationships with private and public sector clients and partners. The Group’s seven divisions are Maple Grove Developments, Construction, Civil Engineering, Water, Health & Care, Facilities Management (FM) and Applethwaite Homes.
About Animate
The construction and development phase will help to generate up to 200 full time equivalent construction jobs for the local workforce, and provide opportunities for apprenticeship, work placements, training and upskilling through Eric Wright Group’s corporate and social responsibility programme.
A dedicated Animate Community Benefit Framework has been agreed between Preston City Council and Maple Grove Developments, which will deliver 15 community benefits, in line with Preston’s Community Wealth Building programme, to assist the delivery of the project and to provide the maximum impact for Preston’s residents and businesses.
The Community Benefit Framework seeks to use local labour, provide training, employment, volunteering opportunities and placements within local colleges, to promote environmental sustainability, and to ensure that all workers are treated equally and fairly.
Animate will also provide more than 140 long term jobs when it opens to the public following the two year construction phase.
About Towns Fund – Town Deals
- On 27 July 2019, the Prime Minister announced that the Towns Fund would support an initial 101 places across England to develop Town Deal proposals, to drive economic regeneration and deliver long-term economic and productivity growth.
- A Town Deal is an agreement in principle between Government, the Lead Council and the Town Deal Board. It will set out a vision and strategy for the town, and what each party agrees to do to achieve this vision.
- Each of the 101 towns selected to work towards a Town Deal also received accelerated funding last year for investment in capital projects that would have an immediate impact and help places “build back better” in the wake of Covid-19. See the 101 places being supported to develop Town Deals.
- Preston’s City Investment Plan is a 15 year vision for Preston setting out Preston’s long-term objectives and strategy to transform the city, targeting resources and aligning public and private sector investments to respond to needs and capitalise on opportunities for positive change. For details visit Invest – Preston’s City Investment Plan.
- Preston City Council actively applies and prioritises the principles of Community Wealth Building wherever applicable and appropriate. Community Wealth Building is an approach which aims to ensure the economic system builds wealth and prosperity for everyone.
- Lancashire County Council’s £800,000 Economic Recovery grant is from its £12.8m Economic Recovery & Growth programme to fund projects across the 12 Lancashire districts to tackle some of the economic impacts of Covid-19 and support recovery and growth.