Two articles in the latest edition of 'What's in Store' contained an error in reference to the BRC rent monthly campaign. One piece claimed that the BRC is calling for 'rent payments monthly in arrears' and the other stated that 'the BRC reckons that retailer rents should be paid monthly, in arrears, compared to now where tenants pay three months in advance'.

At no stage has the BRC suggested that rents be paid in arrears. We are calling for the end of the quarterly regime but have advocated the payment of rent one month in advance as opposed to three.

Dr Kevin Hawkins, Director General

British Retail Consortium

BCSC Conference causes congestion?

I note your leader in the November edition of Shopping Centre in regard to the proximity of dates for BCSC's Conference & Showcase and the dates for MAPIC in Cannes, France.

BCSC has always tried to hold this annual event in the first half of November and will continue to try to do so. We try to have it during this period as part of an effort to avoid clashes with earlier half-term weeks (which vary across the UK) and because we recognise that holding it much later would not best serve our members as they start to focus on the all-important Christmas sales period in the UK.

Much as we would like to, we cannot always set in stone the same three days each year. This is because BCSC's Conference & Showcase isn't always in a static location. We see the ability to take the event around the UK as offering exceptional added value - as our visits to various cities including Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester have rightly proven. In recent years, we have tried to mitigate any inconvenience caused by the change in venue by returning to Manchester on alternate years; however BCSC feels that taking the Conference to different locations offers members a unique chance to see the impact of new developments and retail-led regeneration in a variety of urban settings at key times. We also need to accept that some venues have long-standing prearranged bookings.

At the same time, we recognise that there now exists a so-called 'conference season' which can be a test of will and stamina for delegates wanting to attend both BCSC and then MAPIC. While it is easy to decry the close proximity of the dates of both events, it's also important to remember that the majority of our 3,000 BCSC participants do not attend MAPIC. Those who do undoubtedly weigh up the relative merits of each event and plan to benefit from the outstanding networking opportunities that they both provide.

For the record, next year the BCSC Conference & Showcase will take place for the first time in Newcastle Gateshead and will run from 5-7 November 2007. And in order to help delegates plan early for the following year, the event will be held in a city yet to be announced but is scheduled to take place on 10-12 November 2008. We look forward to seeing many of you there!

Michael Green, Chief Executive, BCSC

A false festive economy?

With the approach of Christmas and recent predictions showing increased figures for retail crime, I have to query why shopping centres and retailers continue to pay the price of low cost, poor quality recruitment policies.

On the one hand I have real empathy with companies operating in this intensely competitive environment which is subject to consumer demand and continuous price pressures. But with theft during the Christmas period predicted to rise again to £447m, I find myself asking, "When will the industry realise that an investment in good quality recruitment and screening can minimise external theft, and shrinkage?"

To use anything other than professional and specialised recruitment and screening operations would seem to be a false economy. There are few, if any, other industries where employees are given the operational autonomy and access to cash that they enjoy in shopping centre and retail environments. Poor quality candidates, particularly those employed on a temporary basis during the festive season, and a lack of professional screening, can have such a negative impact on the business that it hardly bears thinking about.

One retailer was losing £100,000 a year from an employee who hadn't even had his employment references checked. Yet, with a few notable exceptions, many companies still scrimp on investment in this area.

In the post-Christmas period when theft figures are analysed and dissected, I'd like to ask every shopping centre management team to consider just one thing - whether it truly did everything it could to prevent theft and whether the cost of specialised recruitment is really too much to pay.

Tom Craven, Director, Momentum

Recruitment

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