The ground floor of the landmark Hammonds of Hull building looks set to reopen in 2026 – three years after the former food hall closed – with a successful national restaurant chain and a new ‘next-generation’ coffeehouse to become new tenants.
Agents Garness Jones say they are confident the two operators – who have made offers to take large sections of the ground floor – will prove a catalyst for others to consider the venue and help make the space a key part of Hull’s leisure and hospitality offering once again.
“We’re excited with operators we have been able to attract to the two units which are now under offer as they are of high quality, and will be new to the city,” said Paul White, director of Garness Jones, which is handling the letting of floor space in the building.
“Although we can’t confirm names until the contracts are fully signed and sealed, the restaurant chain is already established in many UK towns and cities, including Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield, and has an established reputation for offering an excellent variety of dishes, for the freshness of their food and for excellent customer service.
“The coffeehouse will be a new brand to the UK which is choosing Hull as its first location but has ambitious plans to quickly open other major cities, and overseas, offering a Scandinavian-inspired environment and specialty coffees and signature blends.”
The ground floor has been split into four self-contained units.
Spaces of 9,800 sq ft and 2,900 sq ft remain available, which Mr White says are also idea for food and drink establishments, alongside the entire 24,105 sq ft basement, which would be suited to a leisure offering, but can accommodate a wide range of uses.
Two units on ground floor, and entire basement, remain available
The upper four floors of the building are now all home to Hull-based call centre Res-Q.
The business has made significant investment into refurbishing the floors itself but also benefitted from a £750,00 ‘levelling up’ grant from Hull City Council to help it expand its workforce in the city, now employing hundreds of people from the building.
The fourth floor provides a full training area and a mezzanine area for staff to take their lunch and breaks.
“We are heading in the right direction to get Hammonds of Hull back where it needs to be. It has been a partnership between the owners, the council, Res-Q and ourselves to make sure this iconic building is used to its full potential,” added Mr White.
“Landmark buildings like this are ideal for creating a thriving mix of both work and leisure in the heart of the city centre.
“With Res-Q now operating from 114,000 sq ft of high-quality office space across four floors, and two of the four ground floor units under offer, we are hopeful of attracting further interest to ensure we have full occupancy of the building soon.”