Adding value to community shopping centres
Brief
In the age of internet shopping, it has become apparent that there is a growing necessity to deliver unique experiences and events to community shopping centres which will increase footfall and provide a variety of points of interest for shoppers. At Forum, we pride ourselves in supporting physical retail and we work proactively to ensure we continue to deliver unique and varied commercialisation that cannot be bought while sitting on the sofa.
Delivery
Using our industry contacts, and our in-depth knowledge of the centres we work on behalf of and the communities they are located in, we have attracted numerous forms of commercialisation which drive additional footfall. This includes ‘instagrammable’ businesses such as novelty candy floss machines, car driving experiences, record fairs and comic cons but also, on a larger nationwide scale, a huge number of craft fairs. These fairs give retailers the opportunity to be part of a supportive community of likeminded people. Working together, makers and bakers can take the leap into physical retail, a step they might not be able to take or feel confident enough to pursue, on their own. In centres such as the Bridges in Sunderland, Shopping City in Runcorn, Cornmill in Darlington and Whitefriars in Canterbury these events are well advertised in advance, and we see shoppers returning specifically to see what new products are on offer.
Results
During 2024 we have successfully accommodated a whopping 1,884 individual makers and bakers in the 146 craft fairs we have organised and facilitated throughout the country. On the days of these events, by marketing the variety of stalls on offer, footfall is increased and tenants report more successful trading figures. Coffee shops and F&B retailers seem to notice the most marked difference, but we receive regular comments from others about the buzz and atmosphere created. We have seen several examples of these smaller craft companies then making the leap to trade as their own stand-alone stalls booking on a longer term or regular basis. Hopefully, these small entrepreneurs will become the shopping centre tenants of the future!
Isabelle Hease, CEO of Visitor Insights stated “With a notable shift towards ‘local living’, neighbourhood centres and commuter towns have emerged as success stories”. These events will continue to go from strength to strength as we work to build on these foundations to ensure we continue to support physical retail.
If you are a smaller business looking to retail in shopping centres and think you would benefit from taking part on one of our craft fairs click here