Arding & Hobbs wins best repurposing & placemaking project award at Revo’s 2025
Arding & Hobbs has been announced as the winner of the Best Repurposing & Placemaking Project Gold Award at this year’s Revo’s, an annual celebration hosted by Revo, the UK’s leading membership organisation focused on retail and leisure-led real estate. The awards showcase excellence, innovation, and achievement within the sector.
W.RE transformed the iconic Arding & Hobbs building in Clapham Junction from dereliction to destination. Built in 1910, the Grade II-listed Edwardian Baroque department store sat empty following Debenhams' closure in 2021, its decline threatening to hollow out the surrounding high street.
W.RE recognised the building's embodied carbon and civic importance, working with Stiff+Trevillion to revitalise 15,300 sqm into a dynamic space for work, shopping and leisure while preserving key architectural features. Over 1,000 public consultation responses shaped the final design, ensuring local needs were prioritised.
Today, Arding & Hobbs is home to flexible workspace operator x+why, which also operates premium members' club The Arding Rooms. With a diverse mix of office tenants, Italian delicatessen Prezzemolo & Vitale, Botanical Hall restaurant with coal-fired pizza oven and vodka distillery, and luxury gym Third Space, the reinvented landmark has catalysed wider high street regeneration and re-established itself as Clapham Junction's commercial anchor.
The Revo’s are widely regarded as the benchmark for excellence in the retail property industry, championing the most innovative and impactful contributions across the UK. For nearly 40 years, the annual awards have showcased the best in development, investment, asset management, operations, customer experience, and destination marketing in the sector.
The Revo Golds are one of the most prestigious in the industry, and celebrate the best-in-class retail and leisure developments.
Following deliberation from the judging panel, Arding & Hobbs was ultimately named the winner for the Best Repurposing & Placemaking Project, which recognises projects that have creatively redefined an existing asset, demonstrating clear strategy and delivery, with measurable outcomes such as financial performance, footfall growth, or positive tenant and consumer feedback.
Selected for their outstanding work on a transformational project and exceptional execution, the judges recognised how the building has been sensitively repurposed into a new landmark for Clapham, with a clear and tangible impact on the surrounding area.
Vivienne King, Chair of the Executive Board at Revo, commented: “The annual Revo’s once again highlighted the outstanding achievements taking place across the sector, with a strong turnout from leading professionals, organisations, and innovators. Arding & Hobbs is a brilliant example of how to breathe new life into an iconic building. This project stood out for its vision, care and outstanding delivery. Our congratulations to the Arding & Hobbs team whose remarkable placemaking efforts have revitalised a historic space with purpose, character, and lasting community impact, and to the other shortlisted nominees for their fantastic efforts.”
Sascha Lewin, CEO of W.RE, said: “This award is a marker of the many years of hard work that has gone into the transformation of Arding & Hobbs from the team and our many collaborators. This scheme is a prime example of how to creatively repurpose a building, protecting and celebrating historic details while making it fit for modern use. Thank you to Revo for recognising the project.”
The Revo’s follow a highly successful year for the UK’s leading membership organisation, marked by a major governance restructure and the appointment of new strategic board members, as well as a series of industry events, including the coveted Shaping Tomorrow’s Places conference.
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