The business of retail destinations
www.shopping-centre.co.uk
August 2017 • £8.00
Food Fest Hammerson launches summer F&B tour
06 Development Bracknell on the launch pad
15 Food & Beverage Sampling events drive footfall
28 Security Manned guarding to the fore
3 CONTENTS
Editor Graham Parker 07956 231 078 graham.parker@jld-media.co.uk
Editor’s letter
Editorial Assistant Iain Hoey 07757 946 414 iainhoey94@hotmail.co.uk Sales Manager Trudy Whiston 01293 416 090 trudy.whiston@jld-media.co.uk Events Sales Manager Graham Harvey 01474 247 032 graham.harvey@jld-media.co.uk Database Manager Dywayne Ramsundar 01737 852 342 dywayne.ramsundar@jld-media.co.uk Design & Production Stuart West 01737 852 343 stuart.west@jld-media.co.uk Managing Director Helen Richmond 01737 852 344 helen.richmond@jld-media.co.uk Editorial Board Carl Foreman, Moorgarth; Byron Lewis, Mall Solutions Europe; Andrew McCall, The ROI Team; Howard Morgan, RealService; John Prestwich, Montagu Evans; James Taylor, Workman; David Tudor-Morgan, British Land No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publishers. The Publishers accept no responsibility for any statements made in signed contributions or in those reproduced from other sources, nor for claims made in any advertisements. Shopping Centre is available on subscription. UK & Ireland £96; Overseas £150. Shopping Centre is published monthly. ISSN 0964-1793 | Printed by Stephens & George Ltd Shopping Centre, Goat Mill Road Dowlais Merthyr Tydfil CF48 3TD
It’s opening season for shopping centres once again and this issue is packed with coverage of the latest crop of schemes. What they all have in common is a strong focus on F&B and leisure alongside the fashion and homewares line-
up. It’s clearly easier to create a compelling leisure offer in a newbuild or major refurbishment but there are lessons for established schemes as well. Another common theme is sustainability, with Rushden Lakes integrating retail with outdoor leisure uses in a nature reserve of global importance. The plans were always going to be controversial but the Crown Estate has a strong track record of stewardship and it will be interesting to see how the two elements can be managed side-by-side.
And it’s very reassuring, at a time when retailers are complaining about economic and regulatory headwinds, that all the schemes have let so well. Bracknell is the standout achievement with 92 per cent of the 580,000-sq ft project pre-let or in legals. Attention will now move to Westgate Oxford which opens its doors on October 24.
Graham Parker Editor Shopping Centre
CONTENTS NEWS & ANALYSIS 04 05 06 09 10 11 12
Intu Milton Keynes extension approved CastleCourt sold for £125m Bracknell on the launch pad Tunsgate takes shape Worcester revamp completes White Rose gets bigger and better Phase One opens at Rushden Lakes
Page 06
FEATURES 15
Food & Beverage – Hammerson champions its F&B tenants with a portfolio-wide sampling event 28 Security – In an enhanced security climate manned guarding is more important than ever
REGULARS
Page 14
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26 30 31 31
Data – Retail facts & figures Soapbox – Property managers need to get out more People – intu launches world’s smallest ice cream van Moves – All the latest job moves
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4 NEWS
Intu Milton Keynes extension approved Redevelopment plans for intu Milton Keynes have been given the green light by the Secretary of State after plans were called in during 2015. The scheme, which will be one of the most significant retail and leisure development projects that Central Milton Keynes has seen in over a decade, will include a new dining quarter over two levels and a five-screen boutique cinema. The redevelopment will add a further 100,000 sq ft to the prime 430,000 sq ft shopping centre which already boasts top retail
brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Apple, H&M, Hugo Boss, Superdry and Zara. intu’s plans encompass the space in and around Oak Court and Midsummer Boulevard which will be remodelled to provide a welcoming environment and enhanced ambience. Martin Breeden, development director of intu, said: “The scheme will build on the success of the existing centre, which already attracts 16 million visitors each year. Milton Keynes has a large and growing catchment of affluent shoppers, and our plans will make
sure it punches its weight in terms of attracting the best brands and
maximising its potential for people to spend their free time.”
Countdown to launch at Westgate Westgate Oxford Alliance has confirmed eight food and drink brands and two new retailers for the UK’s next large-scale fashion and leisure destination, Westgate Oxford. Nespresso, Grand Caffe Concerto, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Boost, Salt n Sauce, Crepes O Mania, Ned’s Noodle Bar and The Shake Lab will all join Westgate Oxford when it opens its doors on October 24. At the same time, Reiss and LK Bennett will join the £440m
SHOPPING CENTRE AUGUST 2017
scheme trading alongside Levi’s, Hugo Boss, Ted Baker, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Cos, H&M, & Other Stories, Russell & Bromley and Victoria’s Secret Pink. Emma Mees, senior portfolio manager at Landsec, said: “Demand for both the retail and leisure offer at Westgate Oxford has been fantastic. Today’s announcement will bolster our unique food and drink offering even further, and ensure that Westgate Oxford is truly a diverse and vibrant destination to visit.”
Chinese fashion brand enters UK Urban Revivo has secured a 22,000-sq ft flagship store on the upper level of the extension at Westfield London which will open its doors in March 2018. Founded in 2006, the fast-fashion brand specialises in contemporary clothing and accessories for men, women and children and currently has 160 stores in China. On its tenth anniversary last year the company
announced it would be expanding worldwide and it recently opened its first international store in Singapore. CBRE is retained to act on behalf of Urban Revivo and senior director Kevin Farrow said: “This deal reaffirms London, and the UK market as a whole, as a world class leader in retail innovation and an attractive destination for brands seeking to expand their global reach.” www.shopping-centre.co.uk
5 NEWS
CastleCourt sold for £125m The largest single commercial property transaction to take place in Northern Ireland in recent years has seen Wirefox Investment Group buy CastleCourt shopping centre in Belfast for £125m from Hermes Fund Managers. Wirefox is a Northern Irish-based investment firm with a portfolio of assets across the United Kingdom and Ireland. CastleCourt shopping centre opened in 1990, becoming Belfast’s first major shopping centre with 340,000 sq ft of space
housing more than 100 retailers. Located on Royal Avenue at the heart of Belfast’s retail district, the centre, anchored by Debenhams, draws an annual footfall in excess of 12.5m, and also has the city’s
largest car park, with 1,600 spaces. Other retailers based at the centre include Boots, Argos, Vodafone, Toys R Us, Dorothy Perkins, Jack & Jones and Costa. Savills advised the purchaser
and Ben Turtle, head of office at Savills Northern Ireland, said: “Despite the shock of Brexit and ongoing political uncertainty, the retail sector in Northern Ireland continues to perform strongly, with positive retailer performances and robust letting activity. With consumer confidence at its highest level since the third quarter of 2015, and the economy expected to grow at a faster rate than previously predicted, we expect Wirefox to reap the benefits of this high-profile acquisition.”
House homes in on the UK
NewRiver wins Cowley consent NewRiver’s £60m Templars Square regeneration plans have been approved by Oxford City Council. The proposals will preserve the existing Templars Square shops, while bringing forward a range of significant improvements to the area. These include the addition of an hotel, new restaurant units, new housing, a dramatically improved streetscape and pedestrian route, upgraded and modernised car parking www.shopping-centre.co.uk
Australian homewares specialist House, which is owned by Global Retail Brands, is preparing to launch in the UK following a trail blazed by brands like Smiggle, Bunnings, Typo, Honey Birdette, Kikki.K and Lovisa. The retailer, which is being advised by MMX Retail, aims to open its first tranche of stores by April 2018, with a total of 75 stores set to open within three years. House is looking at stores in both shopping centres and retail parks
across the country, targeting unit sizes of around 3,500 sq ft. Executive chairman Steven Lew said: “Over the last couple of years we’ve looked at opportunity markets, both nationally and internationally, and the UK seemed like a very good fit for us. We want House to become a household name in the UK as the go-to for cooking and entertaining. We believe that 75 stores is a safe number to target, however, this will very much be opportunity-led.”
and new feature entrances. Speaking at the Ellandi Retail Rocks conference, property director Alan Lockhart said: “We’re going to redevelop Tempars Square into a fantastic mixed-use scheme with 226 residential units, an hotel and restaurants,” adding that work would not start on site until the new space was 60 – 65 per cent pre-let. “We’re firm believers that if you can’t let it you shouldn’t build it,” he said. AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
6 ANALYSIS
Bracknell on the launch pad Only weeks from opening day, the 580,000-sq ft Lexicon Bracknell is 92 per cent pre-let One of the retail property world’s longestrunning development sagas is about to reach conclusion. For the best part of a quarter of a century the local authority and various teams of developers and architects have been trying to find a solution that would transform the ambience and retail offer of Bracknell – still redolent of a 1960s New Town – into something more suited to its affluent Berkshire catchment. And at last the evidence is there for all to see that this change has been achieved. On September 7 2017 the Lexicon will open, transforming almost half of the land within SHOPPING CENTRE AUGUST 2017
Bracknell’s ring road into a mix of retail, residential, leisure and catering. The Lexicon Bracknell is being developed by The Bracknell Regeneration Partnership, a 50:50 joint venture between Legal & General Capital and Schroder UK Real Estate Fund, working in partnership with Bracknell Forest Council. “Bracknell’s offer is finally going to be connected to its catchment,” says Richard Poyser, retail leasing manager at Legal & General Capital. The open-air scheme creates a new shopping circuit with its own car park accessed directly off the ring road.
The Avenue, linking Marks & Spencer and Fenwicks’ anchor stores, houses the aspirational tenant mix that Bracknell had formerly lacked, according to Poyser. “The Avenue will be the town’s premium pitch, providing a stylish area for the high-end brands in the town,” he says. “Customers will love the retail choices and the appealing environment, enhanced with planted areas and trees, complete with plenty of al fresco seating. Bracknell has an affluent and growing catchment and the new town centre will have plenty to appeal to these customers throughout the day.” www.shopping-centre.co.uk
7 ANALYSIS
Alongside MSUs Next and H&M, the latest lettings on the Avenue have seen Superdry sign for a 7,875-sq ft store and independent tea, coffee and cocktail shop Coffee Barker a 4,000-sq ft unit. Joules has taken a 2,280-sq ft store and is joined by Timberland, opening in a 2,300-sq ft unit and Seasalt, the familyrun, Cornwall-based clothing, homeware and accessories retailer in a 1,670-sq ft unit. Paperchase has taken a 3,875-sq ft store. Braccan Walk links back to the existing high street with a more mid-market offer anchored by Primark alongside New Look and River Island. And between the two is a new leisure district, Eagle Lane, with a 12-screen Cineworld cinema including a state-of-the-art 4DX screen above a range of restaurants including Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Zizzi's, Wagamama and Carluccio's. The existing Bull pub, which dates from the 14th and 16th centuries and was one of the few historic buildings to survive the wholesale redevelopment of the 1960s, is being turned into a bar/diner for Young’s Brewery’s Geronimo format. So why has the Lexicon finally happened when previous proposals failed to get off the ground? Poyser believes the time was finally right for two reasons. Firstly, the role of the local authority has been crucial. Bracknell www.shopping-centre.co.uk
Forest council has been very successful in attracting major employers – particularly those from the tech sector – to the town, but it found the town centre environment was proving a barrier to further growth. “Tech companies are very prominent in Bracknell, so the catchment has the highest average salary in the UK outside London,” notes Poyser, “but the town centre hasn’t met their needs and aspirations and that was becoming an issue in attracting further inward investment.” And the second factor is the massive population growth the town is enjoying. Over 2,000 homes are already being built including 350 in a new residential tower in the town centre where a number of redundant office buildings have already been converted to residential use. But this is only the beginning and over the next decade 10,000 new homes are slated to be built in Bracknell. Architecturally, the theme of the Lexicon, drawn up by Chapman Taylor and BDP, aims to bring the forest into the town centre with ‘softer’ materials, particularly timber on the roof supports and fascias. And the new multi-storey car park sits behind one of the biggest living walls seen in the UK. But far from marking the end of the project, the opening of the Lexicon only
marks a milestone on a much longer road for the Bracknell Regeneration partnership. The JV controls 90 per cent of the land within the ring road, taking in the existing High Street and Princes Square shopping centre, where there is work still to be done. “We have a vested interest in seeing the whole town centre continue to perform,” says Poyser, pointing out that the partnership has spent £8m on paving streets that it doesn’t actually own, in order to create a seamless transition from the new scheme to the existing shopping district. The next project will focus on Princes Square. “Princes Square will become the value end of town,” says Poyser. “We’ll brighten it up and improve circulation.” And the current Bentalls store – due to be vacated when parent company Fenwicks opens its new store – is due for demolition to make way for a new phase of leisure and catering development. Overall £768m is being invested in the regeneration of Bracknell, including the town centre and across a wider area. This means Bracknell is the first post-war New Town to be comprehensively masterplanned, demolished, reconfigured and rebuilt. “It took a long while but we got the right answer in the end,” concludes Poyser. AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
9 ANALYSIS
Tunsgate takes shape Queensberry’s redevelopment of the former Tunsgate Square in Guildford is nearing completion, with an aspirational tenant mix targeting the prosperous Surrey shoppers. Tunsgate Square is undergoing a comprehensive redevelopment by development manager Queensberry to create a stylish shopping and dining quarter with 80,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, and reflecting its new aspirations it has been rebranded as Tunsgate Quarter. Work is well advanced and completion is expected in Autumn 2017. Landlord Merseyside Pension Fund brought Queensberry on board in 2014. “They recognised that the existing scheme had lost its way,” remembers Stuart Harris, Queensberry’s commercial director and co-founder. Working with architect Lyons+Sleman+Hoare, Queensberry came up with two key proposals. The first was to effectively turn Tunsgate Square inside out, opening up the fortress-like facades that had previously surrounded the block. “We wanted to broaden the scheme out and make it less inward-looking,” says Harris. And the second was to roof over the scheme, with a lightweight structure that retains existing sightlines while giving protection from the elements. The architects also came up with a new feature entrance off the High Street designed to draw shoppers in, while a new entrance off Tunsgate will deliver shoppers straight into the upper level. Before work could begin, Queensberry had to negotiate surrenders with the existing tenants – 90 per cent of which decided to stay in Guildford – as well as buying in the freehold of part of the site and negotiating a new headlease with the council. Two key pre-lettings set the tone for the premium retail and leisure mix that Queensberry has targeted. Caprice Holdings, owner of The Ivy, signed up for 8,500 sq ft of space spread over two levels, including an al fresco dining terrace with views over Guildford's historic castle and gardens. “We then sought a retail anchor that would attract a similar customer,” explains Harris. www.shopping-centre.co.uk
And this took the form of upmarket homewares retailer OKA which signed for 11,000 sq ft of space to showcase its collection of furniture, lighting, soft furnishings and home accessories. The Guildford store will be the brand's largest store outside of London. “The scheme is not trying to be all things to all men,” says Harris. “It has a very specific market positioning.” To validate this, he points to a 2013 Experian survey in which Guildford was named as the 'UK's Luxury Shopping Capital' with an annual retail spend of over £900m. And subsequent deals are in keeping with this approach. The White Company will be doubling the size of its store in the town, relocating from its current location to a 5,000-
sq ft space on the ground floor. Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is taking 650 sq ft in its first standalone shop in Guildford and other confirmed signings include Loaf and Cath Kidston. Letting agents Bruce Gillingham Pollard and Cushman & Wakefield are looking to complete the line-up in a similar vein. Harris says rents are roughly 50 per cent of the going rate of £300 zone A on Guildford’s prime High Street pitch. While the scheme has not been free of challenges, Harris believes it shows that failing schemes can be turned round, even in sensitive locations. “It shows you can substantially change something in a tight city-centre site,” he says. “We’ve changed the orientation of the site and opened it up.”
AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
10 ANALYSIS
Worcester revamp completes Salmon Harvester Opportunity Fund’s redevelopment of the former Cathedral Plaza shopping centre in Worcester has opened with a new F&B-led offer Salmon Harvester Opportunity Fund – the JV between Salmon Harvester Properties and NFU Mutual – bought the run-down Cathedral Plaza in Worcester in February 2013 on the basis that radical steps were required if the 1960s precinct was to do justice to its prominent location facing Worcester Cathedral. The £20m scheme saw an obsolete hotel demolished while the local authority has rerouted roads to create a range of restaurant units overlooking a new public square, and on opening day at the end of July 2017 the 110,000 sq ft of new space was 98 per cent let. The new leisure line up at Cathedral Square includes Ask, All Bar One, Byron Hamburgers, Cosy Club, Miller and Carter, Fitness4Less, Yo Sushi!, Kung Fu and Starbucks. Only one 3,500-sq ft unit on the first floor next to Miller and Carter remains available to let. SHOF fund manager Matthew Meaden says: “This redevelopment redefines the retail and leisure pitch in Worcester and brings much needed regeneration to this part of the city centre. We have brought some big-name brands to the city, by providing the right size and quality of unit in the heart of Worcester.” But it’s not all been plain sailing and asset manager Nick Webb explains that the project team faced a number of challenges: “It’s been a complicated project in a conservation area and facing the Grade I listed cathedral,” he says. “And our contractor Speller Metcalfe had to work around existing tenants including Travelodge who continued to trade.” In the most extreme case, Pizza Express continued to serve dough balls and American Hots while the upper floors above its restaurant were demolished SHOPPING CENTRE AUGUST 2017
and redeveloped with new flats. Webb compliments the centre management team for keeping the existing centre alive through the project. “It’s been a technically challenged scheme and they needed all their softer skills to keep people on-side,” he says. In addition to injecting an F&B offer into the scheme, the retail line-up has been revamped. A run of old units – typically no more than 500 sq ft each – was demolished to create a 20,000-sq ft MSU which has been pre-let to Wilko, while existing anchor H&M has extended back into the mall. “We’ve pretty much used all of the obsolete space in the centre,” says Webb. Monsoon was one of the few retailers to pull out of the existing centre but Hotel Chocolat has been signed to take the vacant unit. Webb is clear that the scheme could not have succeeded without cooperation between the public and private sectors. “The
council had ambitions for the southern end of the high street, but they needed the right partner. And we needed to be able to buy in at the right price,” he says. “We arrived at a partnership approach we could both buy into. For instance the council started work on the public realm before we signed a contract, showing real commitment.” Financially, the scheme has worked with the leisure element achieving rents of £40 per sq ft on the ground floor and £30 per sq ft at first floor. “Throughout the project rents moved on with each letting,” says Webb. “All but one of the tenants are new to Worcester. They recognised that Worcester is pretty affluent with a self-contained catchment.” So what’s next for SHOF? “We’re now looking for new opportunities,” says Webb. “We know there are other schemes out there that need repositioning and we want to get our hands dirty and improve things.” www.shopping-centre.co.uk
11 ANALYSIS
Bigger and better White Rose shopping centre in Leeds cuts the ribbon on phase one of its extension In a city which has seen exponential growth in its retail offer over the past few years, from expansions at Trinity to the architecturally stunning Victoria Gate opening last year, you would be forgiven for thinking that Leeds’ out-of-town shopping centre White Rose would be as well packing up and going home. But for a city that aspires, according to Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Jane Dawson, to be “the best city in the UK by 2030”, things are clearly just heating up. Situated in what was previously the site for one of the centre’s car parks, the renovated plaza known as The Village has transformed into a new six-strong F&B offering for the popular out of town centre, opening in July. The new dining plaza welcomes: Mexican specialist Chiquito’s, American diner brand TGI Friday’s with it 80th site in the UK, burger flippers Five Guys, California kitchen Limeyard, and Pizza Hut with its first new opening in the UK in over six years. Wagamama is the sixth to join the line-up. What sets the Landsec-owned centre apart from its city-centre rivals, including Landsec’s own 1m-sq ft Trinity Leeds centre and Hammerson’s Victoria Quarter, is White Rose’s family focus and August sees a largescale children’s play area up and running. And the final phase will come to fruition this November when cinemagoers will be queued up outside the newly opened 11-screen IMAX Cineworld. General manager Steven Foster says the revamp of the centre has allowed it to improve its sustainability with EV charging stations for electric car users and 3,000 solar panels being installed to generate power, cut down electricity costs and in turn www.shopping-centre.co.uk
pass these savings on to retailers. The retailers at the centre are also pledging their commitment, with Next, River Island and Superdry enhancing their offer. Next opened its new and improved 55,000-sq ft flagship store, doubling its floorspace and incorporating a Costa Coffee in store. River Island has signed to upsize into a 25,000-sq ft flagship store in the former Next unit, and the existing Superdry unit has updated its space with a new store concept which has only been launched in two other locations. Portfolio director Rob Jewell says the upgrades are yet another win for the centre. “The grand opening of the new Next and signing with River Island to introduce two new flagship stores, coupled with Superdry’s new store concept launch, is testament to the confidence of the retailers that trade in the centre,” he says. Whichever way you look at it, the White Rose centre is a masterclass in what an
out of town shopping centre can be. It ticks all the expected boxes – from shopping to leisure to dining – but it goes far, far beyond that. It is a hub of community, inclusivity and sustainability. From the on-site job centre, making it easy for the local population to find work in the retail industry, to the changing places facility allowing easy access to the special needs population, and the focus on renewable, responsible energy make it more than just a place to go shopping. Even when rivalled with the likes of Trinity and the Victoria Quarter, it stands apart as something different. In spite of being a little out of town, the good transport links make it easily accessible, the tenant mix is well balanced and the available space stops it feeling too cluttered or cramped, the dining mix has just the right amount of choice, and once the IMAX is up and running it will further cement itself as yet another go-to shopping destination in Leeds.
AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
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13 ANALYSIS
Phase One opens at Rushden Lakes Northamptonshire retail and leisure scheme opens alongside wetland reserve Developed by LXB and funded by the Crown Estate, Rushden Lakes sees big name fashion and boutique premium brands combined with lakeside dining and a range of leisure activities. The scheme attracted controversy not only because of its retail impact on nearby towns like Northampton but also because it sits within a 200-acre SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) including a wetland reserve judged to be of global importance. Phase one of the scheme offers 230,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space in more than 40 units. Tenants include Marks & Spencer, which is launching a full range store including home and instore cafe, Primark, New Look, JD Sports and H&M as well as fashion and lifestyle brands Jigsaw, White Stuff, Joules and L’Occitane. And taking advantage of the waterside setting, the leisure offer at Rushden Lakes aims to connect a new audience with outdoor activities, nature and wildlife. The Nene Wetlands Visitor Centre, the first such centre in the region, will be operated by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. It includes a children’s play area with an abandoned barge and otter holt, wildlife sculptures, and bird watching on the lake and via hidden cameras in inaccessible areas. Watersports activities will be based in the Boathouse and operated by local canoe and boating experts Canoe2. Designed by architects HPW the Boathouse and Nene Wetlands Visitor Centre are Net Zero Energy buildings, with green roofs planted with grass and wildflower species native to the area. Hannah Milne, director of regional retail at the Crown Estate, says: “Rushden Lakes is the first of its kind; a shopping and leisure destination which combines big name fashion, premium retail and new brands coming to Northamptonshire for the first time. Rushden Lakes is not only shaped by its natural surroundings, it puts the environment at the heart of its offer. Our mission is to create brilliant places, and with Rushden Lakes we see this ambition becoming a ground-breaking reality.” www.shopping-centre.co.uk
AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
14 FOOD AND BEVERAGE
FOOD FEST IS BEST
Hammerson champions its F&B tenants with a sampling event across its portfolio
F
ood has a far wider appeal than, say, a fashion event as it’s inclusive of everyone, says Jo Prosser, marketing manager at commercialisation agency Maynineteen, the team behind Hammerson’s portfolio-wide Summer Food Fest event. “I think it’s because there is traditionally little opportunity for food and beverage retailers to get involved in events so brands were especially keen to participate.” Following a successful debut in 2016, the Hammerson Summer Food Fest SHOPPING CENTRE AUGUST 2017
returns to all the company's UK centres. The concept was designed, Prosser tells, to drive footfall into centres in the typically quiet summer period. “Free food is a big draw, but sampling events are usually retailer-specific and we wanted to do something bigger, something that made more noise on the mall,” she explains. The Summer Food Fest aims to give all existing F&B brands in a centre the chance to show what they have to offer, with each participating brand being
showcased at different points throughout the day. The concept proved popular among each centre’s brands, with the majority of F&B tenants getting involved. “The response from retailers was great,” says Prosser. “They were enthusiastic and keen to participate with over 120 getting involved last year. This summer we’re on target to beat that figure with brands such as Wagamama, Hotel Chocolat, Yo Sushi, Harvey Nichols, Jamie’s Italian, Millie’s Cookies and Costa taking part.” The event tours all nine of Hammerson’s www.shopping-centre.co.uk
15 FOOD AND BEVERAGE
UK shopping centres throughout the summer, from Aberdeen down to Southampton, each location hosting the event for three consecutive days. The Fest involves a staffed food bar or counter set up in the mall which acts as the central hub. Each brand is given a 45-minutes slot for sampling. A professional presenter hosts the event, informing shoppers about the activity, serving bitesized snippets of information about the food and the retailers in support of their offer. “The presenter will talk through the sample dishes and their inspiration with the objective of giving customers the opportunity to sample new menu items and encourage them to visit food retailers that they wouldn’t normally choose,” explains Katie Coombes, business development director at Maynineteen. “It’s fun, engaging and educational,” Prosser adds, “and encourages shoppers to be adventurous in trying new cuisine from retailers they’ve never considered before.” The current Fest is ongoing, and if it
www.shopping-centre.co.uk
proves as successful as the debut run, then it's highly likely the event will return even bigger and better in summer 2018. “It’s very popular – who doesn’t like free food?” says Prosser. “There was always a queue to the counter and the consumer response was great with lots of people commenting on how they had been tempted to try new food, and the delicious smells just added to the atmosphere and drew even more people in.” And it certainly proved popular among those showcasing their offer. “100 per cent of brands requested to participate if the event was repeated and many more brands are on board,” Prosser tells, “so this year our client, Hammerson, increased the number of live event days from 18 to 24.” The concept may feel familiar, with the steady rise of pop-up food retailers passing through malls, but the brandcentred campaign seeing existing operators getting their time in the spotlight serves as a reminder that the big brands are as popular as ever. For
once, it is less about a one-off stop of excitement and breathing life into the centre’s existing furniture and promoting a sense of interest in brands who may struggle with loyalty in the face of growing diversity.
AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
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19 FOOD AND BEVERAGE
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST As the pace of change in the F&B sector accelerates, are the big brands struggling to keep up?
T
he past few years have seen a boom of smaller short-term F&B operators threading their way through shopping centres, giving the long-standing operators a reason to sweat. The UK has been swept by a wave of consumer desire to try something different and many of the nation’s biggest name brands have faced pressure to get with the times or fall at risk of becoming dated and finding themselves on the fasttrack to failure. Last August, the Restaurant Group, which runs 500 theme restaurants including Frankie and Benny’s, faced what it called a “challenging trading period”, resulting in closure of 33 locations. A spokesperson cited “insufficient focus on value, unsuccessful menu development and poor operational execution” as the reason behind the closures, serving as a reminder that the F&B industry is no easy game and can prove itself cutthroat. Similarly, Handmade Burger Co, which went into administration last month, saw the immediate closure of nine of its 29 restaurants, with its future still pending. In order to break into the mainstream F&B market, a restaurant needs to fill some sort of void, whether that be focusing on a specific food like burgers or putting a spin on a dessert
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parlour by bringing in table service. But taking a gamble on something that is apparently lacking in the market does not necessitate a win. Food trends and eating habits are a constantly changing area, and establishing a whole new brand cuisine on the foundation of what might prove a short-lived fad does not make business sense. Whilst the pop-up food and beverage market is thriving, most who embody it are unlikely to see their temporary unit become something permanent in a shopping centre. The reality is that many of the big brands may not be good at proactivity and looking to set the next biggest trend, but they are well positioned to be reactive and take any changes in their stride. Fresh and exciting is a draw, but it works better in the mainstream coming from a brand that consumers are already comfortable with. They may be a little slower on the uptake, but the big brands are still pulling the biggest punches knocking the wind out of the fledgling brands nipping at their heels. They have the brand power. They have the financial clout. Best of all they have their loyal diners who will come back time and time again. And it’s cyclical. A child brought up on Pizza Hut will bring their children up on Pizza AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
20 FOOD AND BEVERAGE
Hut. The pizza specialist has undergone some changes in recent years and the opening – the first in seven years – at Leeds’ White Rose centre is a testament to their overhaul. To the untrained eye, those who have at some point branded Pizza Hut as a family restaurant serving the purpose of infinite ice-cream for the kids, sizeable pizza for the adults and an easy, albeit lazy, pick for a pre-cinema dinner, are unlikely to have seen this development on the basis that they simply haven’t gone to the restaurant in favour of something different or new. But the famous Hut has broadened itself beyond its doughy roots, the reimagining giving it the tools to contend with the American diner aesthetic and strong drinks offering consumers expect from TGI Fridays and Frankie and Benny’s.
WHAT TO OFFER Dining and leisure extensions are the fashion of the moment, with lots of centres trying to get in on the demand for food and fun. And the fact that the same names that are signing up each and every time is a further testament to the longevity and the brand power that they hold. Take the White Rose centre in Leeds, which recently cut the ribbon for it’s new dining quarter. There’s Five Guys, TGI Fridays, Pizza Hut, Wagamama and Chiquitos all comfortably placing themselves as reliable fixtures for the centre. The only wildcard slot is Californian Kitchen restaurant Limeyard which, given the purposefully limited number of new brands, is almost guaranteed to capture the imagination of visitors wanting something just a little different. SHOPPING CENTRE AUGUST 2017
One of the most exciting new dedicated F&B sites is Manchester’s Halle Place, positioned inside the popular Manchester Arndale centre. Kannika Mall, asset manager at M&G Real Estate, is overseeing proceedings. She describes the planning process and what kind of tenants can be expected to put down fresh roots in Manchester. “The process to find the right tenant takes time,” says Kannika Mall. “Because we’re such a popular centre and because there’s not really any casual dining offer here yet, we’ve had people coming to us because it’s such a big opportunity.” When pressed about specific tenants coming in to the centre, Mall was understandably coy as it is still in the construction stage, saying: “I can’t say too much about it yet, but I’ve been working on this project for two and a half years and what I can say is that our customers are of all demographics and our footfall is
over 41m, so we’re aiming to get a bit of everything – some names you will know some you might not.” When undertaking such a big dining extension, it is interesting to note what kinds of brands will be coming in. Do you go safe with safe, familiar pairs of hands, or do you take a gamble with something different, like a pop-up food area that can found in the likes of Buchanan Gallery’s Taste Buchanan in Glasgow, or Trinity Leeds’ massively popular Trinity Kitchen. The fact of the matter is, there are certain consumer expectations when it comes to F&B, and whilst it’s guided by location, there are some boxes to tick. For example, seeing a standalone Frankie and Benny’s or Pizza Hut at a retail park would never look out of place, just as a McDonalds or Subway are all but expected in a mall food court. “I go in to a project like Halle Place thinking ‘what do I expect?’” says Mall. “If www.shopping-centre.co.uk
21 FOOD AND BEVERAGE
I’m looking to eat it’s more often than not a case of what is familiar as a shopping trip for me is about the shopping and the eating is secondary – although I know this is changing, it’s the same for the majority. We know that people are loyal, and lots of people are really conscious about what they eat in terms of how healthy it is or how much it is. I think in that respect a fixed model definitely exists and it works, you’ve got to give people things they are comfortable with – but that’s not to say there can’t be a few curveballs in there too. Eating out can be spontaneous and spontaneity and impulse are often driven by the option of trying something new.” Making room for pop-ups in a new dining extension is a considered move. In order to guarantee the success of a dining
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quarter you are likely to need some wellestablished, familiar brands to make sure people will come and visit and come back and visit again and again, and pop ups by their nature are very flash in the pan. If you look at the Westquay Southampton, the dining offer there was indisputably strong on opening with Bill’s, Five Guys, Thaikun and Nandos among the lineup, but it still left a little room for pop-up retailers for when the wheels are already greased. “The things about pop-ups,” says Mall, “is that they complement existing offers, so people go to both rather than one taking from another, it’s about creating an overall loyalty to the scheme. People see the pop-up and say I want to go to that and vice versa. At Halle Place we’re looking for more units and giving more
opportunity, but generally, because it’s a completely new area, we’re signing up tenants on long leases because brands want to be fixtures in the centre.” There is a bit of debate around lease length. The pros and cons are obvious. On the one hand, you’ve got a rent commitment, but on the other a brand can go stale if it doesn’t make the active effort to keep up with the times. How this is done is another conversation to be had. But in such a scheme as Halle Place you’ve got to take a gamble or two. Take Cosmo, the world buffet, for example. It has now 19 sites in the UK, with two more on the way. It’s still establishing itself, but it’s such a specifically designed restaurant that it makes sense to commit to a location and really pull out all the stops in terms of design. Fortunately, the reviews are glowing, but it needs that flash of recognition that seems to sweep various dining brands from time to time. It’s easy to pinpoint the brands with potential, with recent examples from the likes of Five Guys and Nespresso who have putting down roots in locations all over the country. Then there are some which have stumbled or hit breaking point – like Handmade Burger Co. But Mall pointed out that “whilst lots have potential, it’s just a matter of the local population.” Time will tell who will be the next Five Guys, Tortilla, or Yo! Sushi. It’s not a lack of quality or desire for change, the offers are out there. But perhaps it is a case of too-many-times worn, with the little guy, no matter how hard they try, always having to play the short game, get in a few punches and get out. On the whole, people are eating out more, with a reported one third of people going to centres just to grab some food, and any shopping they do there is secondary. The bottom line for F&B is that the big names are as popular as ever and getting the offering right is paramount to becoming a dining destination. It is now just a matter of what people expect. AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
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23 SECURITY
SAFETY FIRST In a rapidly changing security climate Cardinal Security's managing director Graham Allison explains why manned guarding is more important than ever
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estminster. Manchester Arena. London Bridge. Finsbury Park. In May, the UK’s threat level hit ‘critical’ for the first since the London bombings in 2007 as a result of the flurry of terror attacks in these densely populated, high-footfall areas. The expression safety in numbers rings untrue. But amid the fear, that which shone through above all else was the people. The solidarity of the British public has never been more apparent, from the response on scene to the one-love message being spread across the nation and the world. It took 12 minutes to get 50 armed officers to the scene of the Westminster attack. There were eight minutes between the first call to the emergency services and the three assailants of the London Bridge attack being killed. A fast response time is critical, which is why manned guarding should be a priority in these trying times. High footfall retail environments, like shopping centres, have any number of security-related issues to consider, ranging from theft, to antisocial behaviour, to vandalism, to health and safety compliance to terrorism. Graham Allison, managing director at Cardinal Security, a leading supplier of intelligenceled manned guarding services to the retail and logistics industries whose work won the ‘Vendor of the Year’ award at the Retail Fraud Awards in 2015 and 2016, says that it is time to radically reappraise the role of manned guarding in shopping centres in order to make better use of this vital resource.
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“Last year, the British Retail Consortium stated that the annual bill for UK retail crime soared to £613m in 2015 – the highest level since records began,” says Cardinal Security’s managing director Graham Allison. “For shopping centres this was, and still is, a cause for concern and has made the need for an effective security strategy more important than ever.” Allison emphasises that while loss prevention – shoplifting – is the most obvious reason for having manned guarding, the likes of vandalism, antisocial behaviour and the omnipresent threat of terrorist activity are just as important.
THE FACTS AND FIGURES It is unsurprising in the face of police cuts that the outsourced security services market is growing, with the market in the UK approaching £5bn, according to Apex Insight, with shopping centres seeing an increase in the deployment of manned guards. The cost for the retail industry is thought to be around £600m – accounting for more than 20 per
cent of the total UK manned guarding sector. But despite the vital role it plays in protecting people, property and assets, Allison says that it is a service that is often considered a grudge or commodity spend, leaving it undervalued, underutilised and underdeveloped. “The commoditisation of security services has had far reaching implications and the preoccupation with the lowest cost is increasingly proving to be a false economy,” Allison bemoans. “At a time when their security strategies should be watertight, many shopping centres simply do not have adequate measures in place to counter any riskss or threats.” e are He explains that tenders often carried out on an ‘as is’ basis because purchasers are concerned that implementing measures that are different than those already in ill cost them more. But this, place will he says, is not necessarily true, as it is equally likely that a more optimised service will be more cost efficient in the long run. “When it comes to shopping centres,” Allison says, “a more holistic strategy will reduce response times, lower r security-related expenditure for retailers, and improve the quality of the security operatives deployed. AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
24 SECURITY
“The problem,” he continues, “is that the approach to loss prevention and protecting retail environments from those with malicious intent is fundamentally the same as it has always been. Traditional shopping centre security encourages a silo-based mentality where, as well as paying a service charge for the manned guarding of public areas, retailers also procure their own instore operatives. This often leads to a fragmented, costly and ineffective security strategy that does not enable adequate measures to be put in place to counter any risks or threats and deal with them when they happen.”
PANIC STATIONS Allison is clear in that he believes a lack of communication is the barrier to a fast and effective security strategy. So what is the solution? He suggests the example SHOPPING CENTRE AUGUST 2017
of a panic button within each store which, when pressed, will alert manned guards in a shopping centre to be notified via a smartphone, tablet or similar device to the presence of a potential threat to provide an immediate response. The solution could conceivably reduce or remove the need for retailers to have their own personnel employed in store and give the basic reassurance that help will arrive at the push of a button. “It’s an approach that has benefits for all interested parties, as it will reduce expense for retailers by not having to pay twice for security, increase a shopping centre’s service charge, while improving the margins for the security services provider and allowing them to train and deploy more highly skilled personnel,” Allison explains. “Yes, the shopping centre would have to employ more manned guards to cover the extra work – but this
would still work out more cost effective when factored against the increased service charge.” It sounds like a straight-forward idea, but keeping things in-house has its benefits for the individual retailer, who would essentially be putting all their faith in a service that must work for everyone, not just them, and the larger tenants are likely to have greater needs. But Allison allays this fear, reiterating the teamwork inherent to an all-encompassing strategy. He calls it a matter of effective, trustworthy training and constant communication, emphasising Cardinal Security’s bespoke service. “To ensure standards of response are maintained regardless of the size of retailer, key performance indicators can be agreed in advance, retailers can be notified when help is on its way and the security operatives can use their smart www.shopping-centre.co.uk
25 SECURITY
"There has been a distinct reluctance, or inability, to move on from the ‘cops and robbers’ mindset that had prevailed for decades" Graham Allison, managing director, Cardinal Security
He goes on to suggest the benefits of data acquisition tools to assist personnel in recognising a good customer from a bad customer. In other words, who poses the most risk. “In these uncertain times, the threat posed by terrorists must be taken seriously and there are obviously some locations that are at higher risk of attack than others,” he continues. “Specialist manned guarding providers will be able to undertake an appraisal of the threat posed. They will be able to outline the communications system, infrastructure and decision processes necessary in the event of a terrorist threat or attack.”
THE FUTURE OF SECURITY devices for live incident reporting,” he explains. “Moreover, retailers can work together, talk to each other and create a more cohesive security solution with no silos and greater information sharing.” Allison believes that no two centres are the same and so a security strategy should be based on a comprehensive risk and threat assessment, which involves a thorough analysis of all activities, premises and facilities, and address the risks posed. “When it comes to manned guarding, companies that specialise in protecting certain types of environments will possess a unique knowledge of the threats posed to that kind of environment. For example, a security officer working in a retail environment would need to maintain a more visible and hands-on approach than they would when working in a corporate office.” www.shopping-centre.co.uk
The bottom line when it comes to security is that a strategy can only ever be as effective as the people charged with implementing it on a day-to-day basis. It is much the same as with any service where as good as a plan is, if the people carrying it out are not equipped to carry it out properly, then it’s setting itself up for a fall. “There has been a distinct reluctance, or inability, to move on from the ‘cops and robbers’ mindset that had prevailed for decades,” says Allison. “But, some forward-thinking service providers are reacting positively by providing operators with more diverse skill sets that better represent the changes in the retail sector. “An ‘intelligent guarding’ approach,” he continues, “combines technology, and the data produced by it, with people who can deal with the outputs of these systems. Knowledge about counterterrorism, loss prevention, report writing, behavioural
analysis and profiling, health and safety, data intelligence gathering, first aid, as well as excellent customer service, is now vital for the modern manned guard, as is the ability to work as part of a team with non-security based personnel.” The effectiveness of security is a tricky concept to prove in that it is a preventative measure. The result it aims for is diminished threat, or in other words, making sure that potential disruptions are stopped as quickly and discreetly as possible. Only speculation can tell what the outcome of any threat or incident could have been and how important it is to prevent. The bottom line, therefore, is cost. The people paying are likely to want proof that it’s an effective measure and it’s up to service providers to prove that an integrated security team is the most effective method for tackling any threats. These are, as Allison said, uncertain times, and perhaps in the face of tragedy, solidarity will continue to seep through and pave the way for change. Working together is always better than working alone, and communication is key. “The fact is that most shopping centres and retailers already question what tangible benefits they get from their manned guarding provision and want to see measurable value. So, when it comes to choosing which security company to work with, they should select one with highly trained and skilled operatives. This will ultimately provide best value via an integrated approach that combines the use of manned guarding and technology, combining the most effective elements of each discipline,” Allison concludes. AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
26 DATA
Vacancies on the rise The national vacancy rate has risen for the first time after two years of gentle decline according to the latest bulletin from the Local Data Company. The nine consecutive months of growth of independent businesses came to a sharp halt at the end of the quarter, while multiples continued their path of decline after starting the year on a positive note. Overall levels of openings are now at the lowest level since 2014. Two straight years of a gently falling retail and leisure combined vacancy rate
came to an end in Q2 2017. Having improved from 11.7% in mid-2015 to 10.9% in the first quarter of this year, Q2 saw this number gently tick back up to 11%. According to LDC the convenience retail, leisure and service retail categories all experienced net growth at the beginning of the year. However, June 2017 saw all categories join comparison goods retail declining in numbers. The comparison goods retail category continues to fare worst, having spent over a year in decline apart from a brief
boost in February, losing -380 stores across the quarter and -1,574 overall in the last 12 months. LDC director Matthew Hopkinson said: “Net openings and vacancy rates ended the second quarter on falling graphs, but that should not be read as a strong indication that the retail market has turned decisively. Earnings growth is falling behind inflation but the numbers in work continue to rise through a series of record highs, so consumer expenditure could well carry on growing.”
Independent retailer profile – Ming Wu provides a creative engineering space for users to create physical things using the latest in prototype technologies, such as 3D printers. This is the second year that Ming has been a finalist in the competition and is described by his mentor as hard working and committed, with an entrepreneurial flair. Ming is always keen to get involved in educational workshops and is keen
to take time to mentor and educate the younger entrepreneurs. Ming was excited to be given the opportunity to trade on the mall and said: “I had a very productive week, with lots of interest from visitors that knew what my offering entailed and wanted more information. I had several new leads and I am extremely grateful to Space to trade for the opportunity and the invaluable experience.”
© University of Portsmouth
Ming Wu has become one of the youngest traders to dip his toe in the waters of mall trading at Fareham shopping centre with his business idea, The Maker’s Guild. The move came after he reached the finals of Young Start-up Talent Hampshire, a competition which is open to 16-to-25-year-olds who wish to run their own ventures. Based in Portsmouth, the Maker’s Guild
SHOPPING CENTRE AUGUST 2017
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27 DATA
Value and convenience brands expand An increasing consumer focus on affordability and convenience has seen value and discount goods retailers increase their UK store count by more than 5,000 since 2009, according to new research from Savills and Ellandi. Their new report Retail Revolutions: The Rise of the Community Shopping Centre, shows that value retail goods and services have accounted for 87 per cent of all store growth by brands in the UK during that time, while supermarket chains have also increased their conven-
ience offer by more than 1,600 stores. The report found that 65 per cent of consumers cited convenience as the primary reason for visiting a community shopping centre, with grocery purchases made on 46 per cent of all trips. This is followed by household, fashion, discount and health & beauty products, all purchased on more than 20 per cent of visits to such centres, while gifts and cards are purchased on 13 per cent of trips. The range of value and discount retailers available at a community shopping centre
was also a key attraction for 20 per cent of shoppers. Tom Whittington, retail research director at Savills, said: “Convenience and value retail have merged and evolved to encompass much more than groceries, as highlighted by the wide range of goods purchased on trips to community shopping centres. The value fashion sector has seen particular growth and now accounts for 55 per cent and 65 per cent of all retail brands in secondary and community shopping centres respectively.”
Bricks drive clicks, finds BL New research commissioned by British Land reveals a symbiotic relationship between a brand’s physical stores and its ecommerce platform. The research, using data from Connexity Hitwise, shows that when a new store opens, traffic to the retailer’s website from the surrounding postal area increases by
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52 per cent on average within six weeks of opening. And digital traffic from the local area then remains around this level, demonstrating that a physical store has a significant, positive and sustained impact on digital interaction with the brand. The research found that brands with fewer than 30 stores enjoyed the great-
est positive impact from store openings, with uplifts in local traffic to their websites of 84 per cent on average, showing that a physical store can make a critical contribution to the online success of expanding brands. Ben Dimson, head of retail business development for British Land, said: “Blending channels is increasingly common, pureplays are still moving to physical and click & collect – an increasingly important link between physical and online – is continuing to take ground.” And Dimson pointed out that BL’s local centres are seeing click & collect usage on average 46 per greater than the national average, proving they are particularly well positioned for omnichannel shopping. Charles Maudsley, head of retail, leisure & residential for British Land, said: “The research shows that physical stores are an engine of online growth. Consumers choose brands that align to their lifestyle and values: a physical store enables a retailer to demonstrate its brand in action and drive interest online. At the same time, stores enable retailers to respond to evolving shopping habits, market their brand effectively, and deliver products more efficiently.” AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
Find out more about these suppliers Visit: shopping-centre.co.uk/directory Tel: 01293 416090 Email: trudy.whiston@jld-media.co.uk
28 PRODUCTS & SERVICES ACCESS
PARKING
BUILDING REFURBISHMENT
GLAZING
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29 PRODUCTS & SERVICES GLAZING
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AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
30
SOAPBOX
DITCH THE DESK Retail management specialist John Prestwich believes property managers need to get out more Stevie Wonder’s “I just called to say I love you” was number 1 in the charts when I started my post-polytechnic career. Smoking was permitted in the office, computers were bulky bits of apparatus typically in their own room with flashing indicators and emitting scrolls of ticker tape. Emails did not exist and as for mobile phones, well they really were the size of bricks – often mistaken for calculators. Yes I guess I am getting old. I had aspirations to work within an industry where you could be out and about and not desk-bound. Being a fairly earthy country bumpkin, the Forestry Commission was my first thought but having learnt that they had very limited career opportunities (at least at that time), I fell into mainstream surveying. Having spent my formative years doing everything from office and retail agency to management and valuation I eventually turned my focus to retail management. Retail management is very much a people industry – there is significant interaction not just with your client but the centre management teams, the retailers and, of course, the shoppers. By implication there is a significant amount of time spent visiting the centres. It was not unusual to be spending three or more days on the road each week. I have fond memories of the 5am wake-up call, the drive up to the North West, meeting with the client, centre management team and the retailers before belting SHOPPING CENTRE AUGUST 2017
back down the M6. Another favourite was the frequent visit to Middleton Grange in Hartlepool preceded by a night’s stay in the nearby marina.
SO WHAT HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? Over 25 years we have become chained to our desks, or actually to our computers. The advent of email has undoubtedly allowed us all to be contactable 24/7. Similarly, the use of mobile phones makes us readily accessible. Of course computers are also the basis upon which our property finance records are held, health & safety compliance is reported and monitored and energy consumption measured. It is difficult to perform our duties if we cannot access our computers. Wifi and tablets do not truly liberate you to a point that you can work remotely. And so an industry that was all about relationships and face-to-face interaction between the various components of the asset team has shown a tendency to be office-bound and email or conference call-reliant. Unlike 20 years ago, retail is now a very dynamic, if somewhat challenging environment. More than ever there is a need to engage with individual retailers – not just at head office level but with each individual store – to understand how they are trading and what we as managers can do to support them. But this is less achievable without face-toface communication.
SO WHAT IS THE FUTURE? I am placing my faith in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Retail management, as with other asset classes, requires the intensive use of emails and phone calls. I am hopeful that AI will facilitate the communication process. This in itself will afford property managers more time to visit the sites they are entrusted to manage and to engage with the site teams, retailers and other members of the asset management team. Once again retail management will become a truly people-focused industry. I am no longer an IT technophobe but quite the opposite. With the next generation of IT advances hopefully we can at last ditch the desk. John Prestwich joined Montagu Evans in March 2017 as a consultant to the retail management team
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31 PEOPLE / MOVES
Stoop for a scoop
The world’s smallest ice cream van has been touring intu malls as part of the landlord’s pledge to make customers smile. Following research revealing that eating ice cream makes people happier, intu launched the mini motor at intu Trafford Centre in Manchester ahead of a UK tour, delivering free bitesize scoops to intu customers. The ‘Nice Cream Van’
measures just 47 inches long and 39 inches high with a maximum speed of 12mph. It will go on a nationwide tour of 14 intu shopping centres to surprise and delight shoppers around the country with free Bradwells ice cream. Intu customer experience director Roger Binks said: “We’re delighted to have e created what we believe is the n world’s smallest ice cream van but the real win will be seeing the smiles it puts on people’s faces at intu shopping centress around the country for those lucky enough to get free ice cream. We work really hard to create experiences that will surprise and delight our 35 million customers and make each individual shopping trip a happier, more memorable one one. e.”
Victoria Square takes flight A vintage aircraft has been suspended in the dome of Victoria Square in Belfast, as part of a unique partnership between the mall and National Museums NI. With iconic items from National Museums NI on display in the shopping centre and activities for all the family running throughout August, the Victoria Square Museum will be an interactive experience for visitors. To highlight the attraction a replica Harry Ferguson monoplane has been hoisted to the roof of Victoria Square and Laura McCorry, director of public engagement at National Museums NI, said: www.shopping-centre.co.uk
“This is a new and exciting type e of partnership for us which will deliver a highly engaging, museum inspired experience in Belfast city centre.”
This month’s moves . . . JONATHAN DOUGHTY has been appointed global head of foodservice at ECE. Doughty founded Coverpoint Foodservice Consultants in 1993 and in November 2014, the company was acquired by JLL with Doughty becoming head of EMEA foodservice consulting.
CBRE has appointed MICHAEL MATTHEWS to its EMEA cross border retail team from CBRE Global Investors where was European commercial director of retail. Prior to this, he worked for Apple and VF Corp, the owner of Timberland, Vans and The North Face.
INCENTIVE FM LUNSON has appointed MITCHENALL has grown its lease SIMON WRIGHT as advisory team with operations manager at Bluewater. He most recently the appointment of NICK KLEIN, spent three years as general formerly of JLL. At the same manager at Interserve. time the catering and leisure division has appointed HARRY CODY who will focus on London. SAVILLS has promoted LAURA SALISBURY JONES EMMA FLATHER has to a newly created joined independent central London and European property consultant cross border role within its retail HANOVER GREEN division, advising international RETAIL to lead its restaurant brands on entering the UK leasing team. She joins the market via London and assisting after spending six years in the retailers with European rollouts. development and London estate leasing team at Davis Coffer Lyons. ADDINGTON CAPITAL has appointed DEBBIE ST MODWEN has HERNON as the appointed REMCO new shopping centre manager SIMON to the at its Charter Walk shopping newly created centre in Burnley. The 250,000- role of director of strategy and sq ft shopping centre is research. He was most recently preparing for a new head of real estate equity 40,000-sq ft Primark store, research at Kempen & Co, and which is scheduled to open prior to this, he was a director in Spring 2018. in equity research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
AUGUST 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE