Marks & Spencer brings benefits to the high street including a strong flow of customers, which helps other businesses in the area. Meanwhile, grocers’ smaller format stores such as Sainsbury’s Local and Tesco Express provide local employment opportunities and draw in trade


comfortably within this relaxed and eclectic trading environment.” Sainsbury’s developments also result in improvements to degraded areas. Sachdev says: “There are a number of regen- eration projects that we are working on with Land Securities. These will not only create new employment opportunities but breathe life into some very challenging areas.” Sainsbury’s commitment to better town centres was


evident, as was that of other retailers including M&S, in the clean-up of riot-hit areas after last summer’s mayhem in English cities. For Sachdev that was natural: “Most of our stores mirror


their communities, that’s the important bit – it’s about being good community citizens.” Property firms are vital partners in ensuring healthy town


centres, says Sachdev, and Sainsbury’s keeps close ties not just with those it deals with directly but those with properties nearby, so that problems can be addressed and mutual interests advanced. Land Securities managing director, retail, Richard Akers


agrees that property firms are key partners in ensuring town centre health. Land Securities owns many in-town shopping centres including Cardiff’s St David’s Centre and Cabot Circus in Bristol. The latter, says Akers, is a good example of how a previously undesirable area has been overhauled to become one of the city’s attractions. “It’s quite literally transformed Bristol city centre from


being a place that people avoided to one that people are proud of and take visitors to.” Land Securities also fosters the fortunes of the independent


Good neighbourliness results in good business. “If you


do it in the right way the local community, the local economy and our shareholders all benefit,” he concludes. Similarly, Sainsbury’s takes its responsibilities in town


centres seriously, to the benefit of its neighbours, says property director Neil Sachdev. The retailer has been expanding its estate of Local stores,


typically on high streets, and one of the most obvious benefits is town centre employment, helping keep the heart of local communities beating and drawing in trade. “When a new Sainsbury’s arrives, it can increase footfall in


a local area”, says Sachdev. “The fact is that good businesses can drive good footfall.” His view is supported by Audrey Helps, the town centre manager in Tooting, south London, who cites a 2009 report by Experian that identified the importance of a Sainsbury’s store as one of the town centre’s biggest draws. She says: “The store attracts large numbers of shoppers, including car-borne shoppers, who take advantage of the store car park, and those on foot. Tooting is a very diverse area, featuring many different ethnicities and cultures, and Sainsbury’s fits very


We drive 21 million people a week through our doors and that’s got to help everyone else Steve Rowe, Marks & Spencer


retailers that concern Portas. “It’s important when you look at a whole city centre that there’s broad attraction and indepen- dent retailers provide that,” says Akers. “We always try to ensure they’re in locations that are viable in the long term.” Land Securities has created units specifically for indepen-


dent retailers and given assistance with design and shopfits, as well as let premises to indies on shorter leases. Akers observes: “We are active managers of space – we keep


the environment safe, secure and clean and there’s always a good level of facilities. All of those things improve the environment and encourage people to visit.” More widely, the growth of online shopping is changing


retail and Akers would like to see Post Office sorting offices relocating to town centres. Many are currently in off-pitch locations that are inconvenient for people to get to during the hours they are open to collect orders. As online business increases, their presence in towns would help drive the traffic that would benefit other businesses and increase the attractiveness of high streets. Town centres that people want to visit are in the interests


of all retailers, big and small, and the multiples and big property companies are already playing their part in ensuring continued appeal. l


spring 2012 25


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