THE grandsons of Metrocentre tycoon and Newcastle United legend Sir John Hall have made their first foray into retail with a fashionable cap store.

John and Greg Hall have teamed up with entrepreneur Olly Henderson to invest a six-figure sum opening Capology, an online retailer with a store on Newcastle’s upmarket Grey Street.

After spending years learning from the man who created Europe’s biggest shopping centre and developed the Wynyard hotel and property estate, John and Greg Hall hope their latest venture will become a national success.

John, 26, said: “I was visiting San Francisco and saw some very cool stores with a big range of styles, not too commercial looking and quite boutique, and wanted to try and bring that here,” he said.

“I spent some time shadowing my grandfather and finding out how the business is run. It is hard not to be inspired by him. But so big are his achievements that I may not be able to match them.

“He gave us a lot of support. He has been into the store and he really understands the idea, although he didn’t at first because it is not his area. But he has backed us all along.”

John said that he and Greg, 23, wanted to test their own business skills with the venture but he had enjoyed working with Sir John’s property development firm Cameron Hall and may well return to it in future years.

Capology will mainly be an online business but the trio say they want the shop to be the centre of a like-minded community of people interested in urban fashion and music which will backed up on online social networks. They also plan to organise events.