viewpoint
Published: 01 May, 2007
The shortlisting session for this year's SCEPTRE Awards was an illuminating experience, showing the sheer diversity of the shopping centre industry and underlining the real strength in depth that we now have.
The shortlists are published on page 23 and the entries were so strong - and numerous because the entry numbers were up 50 per cent on last year - that there really is no shame in not having made the final three in any category.
The judges found themselves having to split hairs to choose just three candidates out of some very strong lists.
One of the most impressive categories was the manager of the year for small shopping centres. In the under-150,000-sq ft size band managers are often 'flying solo', combining the roles of operations manager, marketing manager and a dozen other jobs. The old phrase 'jack of all trades and master of none' clearly does not apply here, because the entries showed real creativity and flair.
And something similar emerged at the BCSC's Purple Apple marketing awards last week, where a marketing campaign with a budget of precisely £41.80 outstripped some of the giants with six-figure marketing budgets to win the only Purple Apple awarded on the night.
Hempstead Valley's success goes to show that you can't put a price on genuine creativity, so congratulations to the marketing executive Su Button for showing that marketing on a shoestring can still be effective.
And another highlight of the evening was the presentation to Sue Boor, from The Mall at Cribbs Causeway, as she stepped down from the chair of BCSC's Purple Apple task force. By sheer perseverance, enduring good humour and a persuasive manner that simply doesn't take no for an answer, Sue has helped build an event that now looks like a permanent fixture on the calendar.
By the way, it's not too late to vote for our Retailer of the Year category, so why not visit [http://www.sceptreawards.co.uk] and register your vote now?
Graham Parker, Editor
