St Stephen’s Shopping Centre in Hull has been awarded “Retail Destination of the Year” at retail Oscars, the Oracle Retail Week Awards 2013, as it puts Hull firmly back on the shopping map.
Over the past year the centre, owned and managed by British Land, has succeeded in attracting a host of international brands such as Superdry and Lipsy despite the sustained economic conditions that continue to impact the retail sector and consumer spending. Judges praised St Stephen’s for aiding in the re-invigoration of Hull generating an increase in footfall at the scheme of some 2.5 million since 2008 and consistently outperforming regional and national benchmarks in terms of both sales and footfall.
With the rise of multi-channel retailing, St Stephen’s is evolving its offer to ensure it is fit for purpose and offering customers an ‘experience’. The centre has delivered a host of events to encourage spend and increase dwell time as well as providing free WiFi in designated chill out zones and utilising flockr to send promotions direct to customers mobiles whilst shopping to tap into the multichannel shopper. Its new website has seen a 20% increase in traffic whilst a new Car Valet System using an eco-friendly waterless system was introduced alongside East Yorkshire’s first car charging points.
Speaking about the award, Chris Brook-Carter, Editor in Chief of Retail Week, commented: “Retail can act as a powerful catalyst for regeneration and renewal and St Stephen’s Shopping Centre has successfully helped to re-energise Hull bringing new retailers to the town and boosting footfall. Responding to the ever changing consumer, the centre has succeeded in delivering an experience to its customers and adapting its approach to help retailers deliver their multichannel strategy.”
Sarah Taylor, Senior Industry Director, Oracle Retail added: “The retail industry is challenged not only by change, but by the sheer speed of change. Customer preferences are moving faster than ever before. The view we have is that customers are now in charge, demanding the provision of commerce anywhere. Every customer is now educated in how to reap the benefits of the competitive global marketplace and the latest technologies to enhance their shopping experiences. This is the age of the individual: the customer that wants every retail interaction to be ‘good for me,’ to be defined and dictated by ‘my’ preferences. The winners of this year’s Oracle Retail Week Awards have impressively demonstrated that combining speed, choice and technology with the individual preferences of each customer is the way forward for the industry.”
Jim Harris, Centre Manager at St Stephen’s said: “The Oracle Retail Week Awards are the gold standard for UK retailers, so we’re absolutely over the moon to win. We work really hard to make sure that we have the right mix of shops and leisure facilities for our customers to give them a great experience. We’re also continually improving our customer facilities, including our award-winning car park and standard of amenities. We’re also helping to bring business into Hull city centre as well as giving back to the community through providing financial and practical support to a wide-range of local charities, schools and community initiatives.”
During the past year, St Stephen’s has raised £38,000 for the local community and was crowned winner of the Mail Business Awards Contribution to the Community 2011 awards. Its multi-storey car park was recently granted the Park Mark® Safer Parking Award, making it one of the safest local car parks as well as the most accessible.
The largest and most prestigious event in the UK retail industry calendar, a total of eighteen awards were presented at the Oracle Retail Week Awards ceremony, held in London’s West End.
