Two hires start new era for Banbury's Castle Quay

Oliver Wren has been appointed centre director for Castle Quay Shopping Centre and joins fresh from a two-year stint as Retail Manager at Westgate Oxford Shopping Centre. He has extensive retail experience, having spent more than a decade managing several leading Debenhams outlets.

He will be responsible for providing leadership at Castle Quay, as it embarks on a new chapter with game-changing developments such as Castle Quay Waterfront and Lock 29.

Oliver said: “I am extremely excited to be part of the next chapter at Castle Quay, especially with the arrival of Lock 29 and Castle Quay Waterfront.

"Our aim is to transform Castle Quay and create new opportunities for the future generations within the town, and with a strong and experienced team around me, I am confident we can achieve this.”

Castle Quay Waterfront is the new restaurant and leisure complex currently under construction and will include a Lidl, The Light™ Cinema and a Premier Inn hotel along with several restaurants.

Lock29, named after Banbury Lock, is a one-of-a-kind independent food and drink destination and events space that will also feature a variety of pop-up community events and attractions.

It will also be the England headquarters of Happerley, a farmer-led food provenance company launched in July by Matthew Rymer and TV presenter and farmer Adam Henson.

Chris Catford joins Castle Quay Shopping Centre as the new manager of Lock29.

Prior to this he was at Adventure Leisure, a crazy golf venue in Cheltenham, where he was general manager.

Chris has been involved in major projects such as the launch of the internationally acclaimed Aquatics Centre for the 2012 London Olympics, and was previously retail and beverage manager at Twickenham Stadium and Harlequin Stoop.

Rebecca Deeley, retail liaison manager at Castle Quay Shopping Centre, said: “We are delighted to have Oliver and Chris join the team and look forward to working with the both of them. As activity behind the scenes continues to gather pace in the run-up to the launch of both Castle Quay Waterfront and Lock29, it is a really exciting time for Banbury.

"These additions to the Castle Quay line-up will provide a real boost to the town centre, helping to attract visitors from across the region.”

You can follow Castle Quay Waterfront and Lock29’s development online and on Instagram.