Rob Kirk joins Marylebone Village

Howard de Walden appoints a new Retail & Leisure Director

The Howard de Walden Estate has appointed Rob Kirk as Interim Retail & Leisure Director for Marylebone Village while Jenny Casebourne takes maternity leave. Formerly with Shaftesbury, Rob has worked extensively on the Carnaby and Soho estates within Central London.

Andrew Hynard, CEO of The Howard de Walden Estate, comments: “Rob’s experience of integrating retail and leisure into an environment that also serves office and residential communities makes him well-placed to work on Marylebone Village. It’s a dynamic location which meets changing requirements in the course of each day and week. Jenny has made significant progress since taking over as Director of Retail & Leisure and we want to maintain that momentum.”

The retail and leisure offering within Marylebone Village is concentrated on Marylebone High Street and a series of connecting streets. It comprises more than £650m of retail and leisure assets and is home to a wide diversity of brands and places to eat and drink. Current occupiers include KJ’s Laundry, MatchesFashion, Lululemon, Daunt Books, J Crew and Koibird, with SoulCycle and Allbirds due to open this year.

Rob Kirk—who will take over from Jenny Casebourne in January—comments: “Despite being just minutes from Oxford Street, Marylebone Village sits within an oasis of relative tranquility. It’s a unique and welcoming neighbourhood which blends independent labels and larger, more established brands within the community.

“I’m very much looking forward to working with the team on such a great portfolio of properties.”