For the last seven years, The Mall at Cribbs Causeway has hosted a twice-yearly fashion show, showcasing the seasonal trends coming into stores. Of course, plenty of centres are using fashion shows to encourage footfall and boost retail sales. But while other venues host free events inside their main mall, Cribbs charge people for tickets to a standalone show held in a marquee just outside the centre.

“We started hosting the event in 2003 and over the years it has grown in scale and credibility. The show is around twice the size now” says Jon Edwards, commercial director for The Mall. Ticket sales for this autumn’s event were up 20 per cent on last year, even after Cribbs increased the show’s capacity. That people are willing to pay £7.50 to attend a shopping centre event speaks volumes, particularly during a downturn.

“Our £12.50 premium tickets, which guarantee guests front row seats, sold out straight away,” says Edwards. “We’ve made a success of the show and now it just continues growing. People want to come here and spend their money.”

This isn’t just a happy accident. The management team behind The Mall spent a lot of time analysing the customer base and working out what type of event would prove popular with shoppers at Cribbs. “We study consumer behaviour and track our high value customers very closely. So our fashion programme is put alongside that,” explains Edwards.

But despite Cribbs’ success, the fact remains that people generally are being more frugal with their money. Susanna Kelly, managing director of Total Image Solutions, organises fashion and styling events for shopping centres. She argues that centres have grown complacent and are consequently losing out in terms of commercialisation. Rather than hosting generic fashion shows, Kelly stresses the need for centres to devise events that focus on the shopper. “Centres need to engage with the public, but there are some marketing agencies that don’t understand who the spenders really are. If centres want to throw a fashion show, then great. But so many involve fashion that isn’t targeted to their own demographic. Why host an event that doesn’t relate to anyone in the centre?”

If an event does not directly appeal to the centre’s shoppers, there is little chance of getting people to pay for tickets at the best of times. And if Kelly is to be believed, paid-for fashion events are soon to be extinct. “We used to charge for every event because we could. Four years ago we charged £20 a head for a fashion show at The Trafford Centre and it was sold out for an entire year. But now people won’t part with that little bit of spend because they’ve seen what happens when the economy turns and they’re worried it might happen again. The whole landscape is never going to be the same,” she says.

So if centres can’t charge for run-of-the-mill fashion shows, what’s the solution? How can they generate customer spend from an event? “The shopper needs to feel like they’re getting something out of it,” argues Kelly. “Outlets such as McArthurGlen and Cheshire Oaks are offering free events, plus discount cards, plus free personal shopping, so people want to come back and bring their friends with them.

“But our main focus is on personal shopping. We found that what the customer needs is directional advice, so we’re working on offering free personal shopping services in centres. Working at grass roots is the way forward – what does the customer really want and how can centres use this to encourage spend,” she concludes.

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