Suburban Shopping Precinct

Summary

• ~150 retail outlets
• Many different landlords (largely private individual investors, not retail property specialists, many based outside the area)
• No centre management / traders association
• High vacancy rate at start of project
• No property development despite relaxation of planning guidelines to allow more dense development in / around the precinct
• Proposed activation project supported (but not financed) by local chamber of commerce, so retailers approached individually to fund and participate (no external funding)
• Almost no involvement of landlords

Aims

• To bring local residents (and visitors from further afield) into the shopping precinct, especially at the weekend
• To encourage retailers to open longer hours at the weekend
• To achieve postive national media coverage for the precinct
• To encourage the ‘right mix’ of retailers and facilities to open in the precinct

Project Elements

• Set up website, email newsletter, app and social media channels for the precinct featuring hyperlocal news and events, including profiles of many of the retailers
• Set up regular monthly street event at the weekend, with inbuilt mechanisms to encourage attendees to visit local retailers
• Set up regular shopping voucher giveaway to reward people for signing up to email newsletter
• Regularly surveyed subscribers and locals on what types of retail outlet they would like to see in the precinct (including a ‘guerilla marketing’ campaign to maximise participation in the survey), and other local issues
• Launched ‘major event’ to attract interest outside the immediate local area

Outcomes

• 3 of top 5 ‘most wanted’ retailers and facilities achieved within 2 years (all 5 within 7 years)
• High engagement with large proportion of local residents
• Attraction of larger events to the area
• Substantial increase in development of residential and commercial buildings in and around the shopping precinct
• Achieved positive national TV / radio / print news coverage for the precinct at launch of ‘major event’ referenced above (and on a regular basis thereafter)