First Queen Street restaurant announced

Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc (‘Aviva’) have announced that Caribbean restaurant Turtle Bay is the first to sign up to opening a new restaurant in Exeter's exciting new Queen St dining quarter.

Turtle Bay will take up residence in a prime location facing out onto Queen Street itself, having signed contracts for a 25 year lease with Aviva Investors last week.

Turtle Bay capture the Caribbean island vibe by serving up exceptional, authentic dishes always exploding with flavour in an environment inspired by the love of laid-back living. Turtle Bay source the very best ingredients, both locally and in the far-flung corners of the islands themselves, then bring everything together in true Caribbean style - 'concentrating on flavour rather than fuss'.

With 15 restaurants across the UK, the Exeter restaurant at Queen St will become Turtle Bay's South West outpost and the closest outlet to the Caribbean itself.

Aviva Investors are delighted that Queen St will have Turtle Bay as part of the dining quarter, opening in May 2016, in what is to become Exeter's premier dining location.

Simon Green, Associate Director of Aviva Investors said: “Aviva Investors are very proud to be able to announce that we are bringing Turtle Bay to Exeter, they will be taking a 4,000 square feet unit in Queen St. The team have been working hard to secure the first deals to bring new flavours to Exeter and Turtle Bay will certainly do that. It's a great start to the project and signals the way forward for regenerating the offer at the Guildhall Shopping Centre.”

George Waite, Turtle Bay spokesperson added: “We are very excited about bringing Turtle Bay to Exeter. We have been very impressed with Aviva’s plans for the Guildhall Shopping Centre. We have been looking for a suitable property for some time and we are confident that Aviva’s long term commitment and investment in this site will help cement Queen St as the prime dining destination in the city. We look forward to opening our doors and inviting the people of Exeter to come in, kick back and enjoy a truly Caribbean eating and drinking experience”.

Welcoming the announcement, Karime Hassan, Chief Executive and Growth Director of Exeter City Council said: “We are working hard to build the city's evening and night time economy and the announcement that Turtle Bay will be coming to the Queen St dining quarter will undoubtedly further strengthen the appeal of the city centre and is a brilliant addition to Exeter's culinary offer.”

The Queen St project will see the Guildhall Shopping Centre’s neo-classical façade on Queen Street transformed, create a new entrance from the high street and re-invent the three public spaces within the centre itself: Market Square, bordered by amphitheatre-style seating areas, St Pancras Square overlooking the beautiful 13th-Century St Pancras Church and Goldsmith Square, making them all more welcoming and attractive to shoppers and diners alike.

Will Biggart from letting agents Jackson Criss said: “We are off to an excellent start at Queen St, we now have over 70% of the total floor area either in solicitors hands or already exchanged, with excellent demand on the remaining space. This will become the premier dining destination within Exeter when completed with two roof top restaurants and some very exciting names, new to the South West. We expect this to draw more people to the city centre and the dining will complement the already strong city centre retail experience and complete the missing part of the jigsaw within Exeter and provide a shot in the arm for the city’s eating offer.”

Aviva Investors will be announcing more names of the restaurants they have lined up in the coming weeks.

For further information about Turtle Bay visit www.turtlebay.co.uk for more about the Queen St redevelopment, please visit: www.queenst-exeter.com