Landsec's new strategy is "customer-centric", Nik Porter joins in new role

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 26, 2021

Major retail landlord Landsec has unveiled what it calls a new, “customer-centric approach” to accelerate its retail strategy. The Bluewater and Westgate owner and operator has formed a new retail structure “focused on creating closer relationships with its brand partners as part of its ‘Reimagine’ strategic pillar”.

It wants to get closer to both existing and emerging brands, to “elevate” the group’s retail destinations and “curate guest experiences that can’t easily be replicated online”.

It’s an understandable approach to take in the light of the changes that have come about both because of the pandemic and the longer-running shift online. The company has faced challenges in recent periods of tenants not being able to pay their rent, some launching CVAs to enable them to close stores and others going under and vacating their stores. 

Demands for turnover-based rents have also hit the wider property sector and it all means continuing with pre-pandemic strategies isn’t an option.

So what does the new structure comprise? Well, it will “replace the previous, asset management-focused approach with three key areas: brand management, channel management and guest experience”. 

The company said it will leverage innovative technology and data-driven insights, giving it “a deeper understanding of the guest experience”. This allows it to “support its partners with the right spaces at every stage of their relationship with Landsec”.

Brand account management will act as a point of contact for its brand partners, “who will benefit from the team’s deep sector knowledge to secure strategically relevant spaces in prime locations, working across the entire retail portfolio”. 

Channel management will focus on the strategic planning of each asset, including the placemaking vision and performance.

And guest experiences will be responsible for creating enhanced shopper environments and experiences, “through events and activations that drive footfall to our retail destinations”. 

It also said that after the appointment of Bruce Findlay as Managing Director, Retail a year ago, it has also confirmed the appointment of Nik Porter to the newly created role of Head of Retail Brand Account Management, “further bolstering the group’s in-house retail expertise”.

Porter joins from 7 For All Mankind, having spent three years as Director of Retail Operations. Prior to that he held roles with All Saints and Hackett London.