SECTOR FOCUS: RETAIL


Shoppers are returning to real world C


onsumers in the West Midlands are returning to shopping in the real world,


rather than online, according to a panel of experts. Members of the panel – featuring


experts from BDO UK, the Mailbox and Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) – were speaking at the ‘Real Estate Network: Retail Trading Trends event in Birmingham. Sophie Michael, head of retail


and wholesale at BDO UK, said: “The way that people shop continues to change at a rapid pace. While there is no doubt that online retail has become key to how consumers purchase goods, the growth of online has given the store an evolving role for the convenient collection of online orders. “This is of particular focus to


those retailers where the buying process cannot be adequately reproduced online and the consumer therefore receives value from visiting the store to experience the product before buying.” This is a trend that is supported


by recent figures from the British Retail Consortium, which suggest footfall at retail stores in the West Midlands is increasing.


Richard Jones, head of Midlands’


retail at LSH, said: “While e- commerce is undeniably a threat to bricks and mortar stores, there is definite evidence of a fight back in the West Midlands market. Vacancy rates have fallen from 15.4 per cent in January 2015 to 9.4 per cent in


It is extremely important for RETAIL THERAPY


BY MICHAELA MOORE GENERAL MANAGER, BULLRING, BIRMINGHAM


Michaela Moore, general manager at Bullring, Birmingham’s leading retail destination, reflects on what has been a busy first few months of 2016. “We started the year with some


great new additions to the centre, including a first for the city with the arrival of Bill's restaurant. With heritage in South East England, Bill's had humble beginnings, born out of a local greengrocer's in East Sussex and has developed into an iconic UK brand. In February, menswear


retailer Pretty Green, opened their new concept store on LinkStreet. The brand offers a music-inspired collection, heavily influenced by former Oasis frontman, Liam Gallagher.


us to continue evolving the retail and catering mix we offer our customers. Last year was an exceptional year for us in terms of our updating our tenant mix with the likes of Cadenza and Diesel joining the centre whilst River Island, Topshop and Mango all extended their store footage as customer demand grows. As well as tenant additions we


have created a strong events schedule for the year ahead. This month we’ll host our spring student event, Student Sessions. Birmingham has a large student catchment with three universities within the immediate surrounding area and more within a short drive time. Our student events are very popular and attract students from around the catchment all taking advantage of exclusive special offers, discounts and giveaways. In May we’ll be hosting a


spring fashion and beauty event, which will involve retailers from across the centre with the aim of helping shoppers to update their wardrobe and make-up bags in time for the summer. The next few months will


continue to see Bullring cement its position as a leading retail and dining destination.”


APRIL 2016 CHAMBERLINK 53


Bricks and mortar on the up: Gary Rouse (BDO), Richard Jones, David Pardoe (The Mailbox) and Sophie Michael


January 2016 a decline of six per cent and, at LSH, we’ve noticed a dramatic improvement in take-up regionally in the last 18 months, suggesting that confidence is really starting to grow among retailers.” Turning to the year ahead, the panel discussed the potential


negative effects of the National Living Wage and impending ‘Brexit’ referendum, but said that 2016 was likely to see the continuing growth of social media as a tool for retailers to engage with their customers, who in turn would ‘focus on building loyalty to shops they trust’.


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