"How do you make your Centre the favourite destination for shoppers?"

A well-run shopping centre can be greater than the sum of its parts. A vibrant, atmospheric mall creates the opportunity for terrific social interaction which produces an emotional charge, creates a unique destination and leaves the e-commerce shopping option dead in the water!

Strallens, a long-standing Associate of Business Blueprints, call this Experience Creation and has a 25-year history in doing just that.

The Meadowhall Centre in Sheffield, CentrO Oberhausen and The Trafford Centre, Manchester were provided with full companies of highly trained performers. The performers worked in programmes which were specifically designed to capture visitors throughout the mall at times which would guarantee that the activities both increased dwell-time for shoppers and guests and became sufficiently well known that visitors deliberately timed their visits to coincide with the entertainment programmes.

At the Westfield Centre in London, Strallens created musical programmes, song and dance shows and liaised with London theatre producers to create and present edited highlights of current musicals which co-promoted ticket sales through the in-mall theatre ticket store.

Replicating these models is a straightforward process of recruiting local entertainer/performers, freelance musical talents and working with in-house retail staff. The activities are entirely scaleable based on budget, seasonal demand and the marketing imperatives at local, regional and national level.