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Retailers - Careers in centre management
Date Posted: 06/09/2010
Over the last few years there has been a definite shift within the Shopping Centre arena towards a more retailer supportive environment. Long gone are the days where landlords can rest on their laurels and expect the rent to continue to be paid and their units to be fully let without effort. Nearly all Landlords and Managing Agents now appreciate and realise that the relationship between occupier and owner needs to be one more likened to a partnership.
The recent economic turmoil has compounded the need to work together and have a relationship built on trust, both parties needing each other. This retail understanding and empathy is one of the many reasons why Foundation Recruitment is often asked to recruit Retail Area Managers and Store Managers who are interested in moving into a Shopping Centre Manager job.
Moving into this arena is not something many retailers have considered or aware they have the option to do. More and more senior Retail individuals are being appointed at strategic board level within property companies and this is further pushing the trend to find accomplished department store managers to take over the management of Shopping Centres. The skills required are very similar; Shopping Centre Managers are responsible for the P&L of the scheme; responsible for effectively recruiting and managing a varied and often contracted team; they must ensure that the appearance and facilities standards are excellent throughout; have an awareness of events and marketing in order to drive footfall and conversion; they must have an overall strategy to create an environment that customers will continue to return to. The role of a Shopping Centre manager also challenges a retailer to further develop their skills in areas like refurbishment or redevelopment, having local level marketing involvement, be a an often key member to the town or city partnership, always working closely with councils and public bodies. The Shopping Centre Manager is essentially the ambassador for the scheme.
Many retailers reach a Senior Store or Area Manager position and relish the thought of a new challenge but do not want to lose their existing skills and retail knowledge; the shopping centre industry allows them to do that. Individuals who have managed various concessions within their department store are of particular interest as they already understand how to manage retail concession managers. Relationship building and management is one of the essential skills needed to be successful within the Shopping Centre industry.
Building these key relationships with retailers and the wider community is important within all centres but perhaps even more so in some struggling secondary schemes. A Centre Manager from a retail background would be able to provide advice to struggling tenants within the centre, consult with the store managers and provide advice on how to improve their business; the success of the occupier is vital to the overall success of the shopping centre scheme.
As the Shopping Centre industry has an aging population of Centre Managers and Directors it begs the question where the recruitment of future talent will originate from to join the industry? Whilst Foundation Recruitment acknowledges that moving into Shopping Centre Management will not be for all retailers, we certainly hope that some will consider this exciting industry for their career development.
Foundation Recruitment is keen to speak with retailers who are interested in exploring the shopping centre market and jobs within it. Please contact us for a confidential discussion.