Deli-cious -(photo courtesy of Cartwright Communications)
Years ago the route between the Victoria Centre and the Broadmarsh was a well trodden path for me, however as shops withdrew, so did the customers. I couldn’t even tell you if the swinging monkey is still in the shoe shop anymore.
Hopefully that looks set to change thanks to a campaign to bring independent stores to the centre which has been recognised with a national award. As you’re probably aware, the centre, which first opened its doors in 1975, named after the historically boggy ground it was built on, is now owned by intu, the same company that now own the Victoria Centre, so it would seem sensible that they would want customers to again visit both.
The ‘Pop Up intu Broadmarsh’ campaign run by intu was designed to increase the number of independent retailers taking space in the 55 store centre and was last week awarded a merit at the BCSC Purple Apple Marketing Awards ceremony in London. The awards recognise shopping and town centre marketing within the UK, acknowledging high standards and value for money.
Adam Tamsett, general manager at intu Broadmarsh, said: “This is the first time that we’ve done anything like this and we’re delighted that it has been recognised at such a prestigious national awards ceremony.
“Pop Up intu Broadmarsh has allowed us to bring some fantastic independent retailers into the centre, which has improved the retail mix we are able to offer our shoppers by giving them something different to your normal high street stores.
“It is really important to us to support independent retail in the city and this award is testament to the hard work that everyone at intu Broadmarsh has put into making this campaign come to life.”
Retailers including Deli-cious, illPod, Made in Nottingham and Prisma have all been brought into the centre as part of the campaign, as well as Inspiring Retail winners Dukki Designs and Elefair.
The campaign picked up a merit award in the business to business marketing category, which recognises innovative and creative initiatives that achieve the greatest return on investment for landlords, supporting its specific strategy through targeted and tailored activity.
Things are clearly on the up for the centre as this is the second national award that they have picked up in recent weeks after being selected to win a BCSC Opal Award for bringing Nottingham’s own Carl Froch’s warm up ahead of his momentous fight against George Groves in 2014.
“The team has done a fantastic job in putting together such a successful campaign and I am very proud to have been involved – it builds on the success of the Opal Award we picked up earlier in the year, and we are delighted to see our efforts recognised.”
Intu as a company own and operates some of the very best shopping centres, including twelve of the UK’s top 25, their focus being on creating compelling destinations for the customer. They currently have an investment plan of £1.2 billion over the next ten years with projects at most of their centres including Broadmarsh.
For further information see www.intugroup.co.uk
