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FEATURE: COMMERCIALISATION
time in the centre. “There’s usually an appearance every half high end shopping centres. It’s something they can comfortably put
hour, but it’s good for the centre if a family turns up 20 minutes in their malls, and it takes away the stigma of kiddie rides in centres,”
early. So we suggest that the exact times aren’t pre-advertised, but argues Beswick.
instead that signage is put up on the day to let people know what’s Ride On’s recent innovation, as well as being up-to-date in look, is
happening and when,” advises Tranter. deliberately flexible enough to incorporate the children’s characters
The ever-popular kiddie rides are a mainstay of children’s topping the popularity chart at any given time. “It takes only seconds
entertainment, providing centres with a more typical channel of to upload new themes, which means the ride can be instantly re-
direct income. But like the character appearances, rides need to invented with the very latest characters while they are at their most
boost the perception of a centre. Just as Tranter claims that different popular,” says Beswick.
types of character are more suited to some areas than others – “It’s a great way to maximise appeal while cross-promoting
“Garfield would work brilliantly in Liverpool and Birmingham, but exactly what your retailers are selling.”
Beatrix Potter characters belong somewhere like Tunbridge Wells”
– a carousel needs to fit in with the feel of the centre and its local teCh sAvvy
demographic. A similar innovation is Primary Leisure’s Kids TV. The first of the
Ride On Entertainment, which manufactures and supplies coin-operated ‘kids pods’ launched in 2008 to deliver what Jonathan
carousels to shopping centres, has recently launched a new design Smith, Primary Leisure’s co-founder, describes as “a complete move
to be trialled in Westfield London this month. Craig Beswick, general away from traditional kiddie rides”.
manager of Ride On’s UK branch, stresses the importance of keeping The product allows children to watch their favourite cartoons
up-to-date. inside a kiosk for £1 a time. “Our aim is to attract kids into a very
“Shopping centres have become more and more contemporary safe environment where they can select and watch cartoons,”
in their design. Nowadays they only have a smattering of RMUs, and explains Smith. And a new generation of Kids TV pods, launched last
those they do have are designed to a very high spec. So we’ve gone month at The O2 Centre in London, incorporates the latest in digital
the same way with our carousels,” he explains. touchscreen technology.
Ride On’s standard carousel features a turntable with three “Kids eat up technology. They are like sponges, taking everything
popular characters for children to ride around on. The new design in.” In the fight to remain relevant to young people today, the new
replaces these characters with 17-inch screens playing video clips pods include LCD screens that children can touch to select one of
of recent Thomas the Tank Engine episodes. Children can watch and four cartoons and their favourite episode. The options from licensor
listen to the clips as they ride around. This, according to Beswick, Classic Media include Postman Pat and Basil Brush, putting the age
is the kind of innovation needed if major centres are to show an range between two and nine years. However, Smith recognises that
interest in children’s rides. the pods’ interactivity and digitalisation has the potential to reach an
“Westfield London are never going to put Bob the Builder out on older audience.
the floor, so we had to think totally out of the box. These rides have “The experience of the pod itself is good for kids aged 10, 11 or 12.
got to attract children and act like furniture in the malls – it can’t look But the content isn’t,” says Smith. “We’re in talks with other licensors
out of place. to include characters more suitable for a higher age, like Marvel
“The new design is a way of lifting the market by appealing to which has Spider-man and Iron Man.”
SHOPPING CENTRE January 2010 www.shopping-centre.co.uk
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