Contributors
About the Author
Michelle Buxton
Michelle Buxton, a founder member of the Retail Marketing Group, established Toolbox Marketing in 2000. The firm has made its mark on the shopping center industry in the UK and abroad, with offices in Suffolk, London, Bristol and Stockholm. This full-service agency’s client roster includes ING Real Estate, Boultbee and British Land. Send your queries to john.trowell@toolboxmarketing.co.uk or visit the firm’s website at www.ToolboxMarketing.co.uk.
Come Shop With Me!
As consumers continue to jealously guard their wallets, shopping centers are having to adopt ever more persuasive “come hither” tactics. The recession has mostly put paid to high-budget incentives such as giveaways and prizes, so marketers are having to dig deep and come up with creative and inspiring promotions that encourage maximum attendanc [...]
Food, Glorious Food!
The last six months have not been kind ones for retailers and shopping centers, as all in the business well know. In the UK alone, seven shopping centers entered administration in the first quarter of 2009, and Experian’s prediction that as many as 35,000 shops will go the same way before the end of the year does not bode well for a brighter set [...]
Re-branding: Ignore Loyal Customers at Your Peril
Our first column focused on positioning the neighborhood center as a fun and indulgent destination offering shoppers an opportunity to indulge desires, hopes, dreams and aspirations. Borne of the need to rid neighborhood centers of their practical association and tap into some of the more lucrative leisure spend, we outlined how best to reposition [...]
Make an Indulgence out of Convenience
The vast majority of shopping centers are ‘local’ and aim to target those living within their immediate vicinity—usually around twenty minutes’ travel time of the center. These small, neighborhood centers are convenient and familiar, and they often fulfill a social as well as practical need. A recent survey in Australia identified local cen [...]
That’s Entertainment!
It’s official, mall entertainment is back in fashion, but does it add value to your shopping center? When you look back at how the trends of entertainment have changed over the past 10 years, there was a time when almost every center in the UK had an entertainment program consisting of clowns, face painting and center mascots. This was when marke [...]