Over 600 guests attended the awards dinner at The Brewery in London last night, and saw Hempstead Valley’s marketing manager Su Button receive her award for the ‘fashion features campaign’ that generated a staggering £166,000 worth of press coverage for an outlay of just £41.80.

The campaign revolved around a series of regular fashion features placed in two local freesheets – the Saturday Observer and Kent on Sunday – that promoted the latest trends available in the centre’s fashion stores.

At a time when the BRC was reporting retail sales growth of 2.5 per cent year-on-year Hempstead Valley saw sales up more than 10 per cent on the back of the press campaign, and some stores did even better: New Look reported a 12.9 per cent sales uplift while M&S saw sales u 14.45 per cent.

BCSC chief executive Michael Green said: “The retail property industry continues to raise its game in terms of the overall level of entries with more than 104 this year. We’re also seeing higher standards of entry and more award recipients than ever. It’s long been said that Purple Apple awards don’t grow on trees and once again this has proved the case with judges again only making awards for outstanding and exceptional work. Winning a Purple Apple remains the ultimate recognition in innovation and effectiveness."

Su Button will now join four other shopping centre marketing specialists from Birmingham City Centre, The Paisley Centre, The Mall at Cribbs Causeway and thecentre:MK on an all-expenses-paid trip to the ICSC Fall Convention in New Orleans where her campaign will be entered for the ICSC Maxis, which recognise the best in shopping centre marketing worldwide.

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