Neil Varnham promises to raise BCSC's profile in the Government arena
Published: 31 December, 2010
Yesterday’s BCSC President’s Lunch, held at BAFTA in Piccadilly, saw Cadena’s retail guru Neil Varnham take up the presidency for 2010. After accepting the mantel from former president Jeremy Collins, he spoke of the “significant challenges in the economy and shopping centre industry”.
But introducing the recent study of UK's secondary shopping centres, Varnham promised to identify the problems and find solutions by going right down to asset level. “This is the initial phase in addressing the issues of deterioration of secondary centres and its impact on the community,” he said. “The findings will form a key part of BCSC’s focus in 2010.”
Varnham put the neglect of secondary shopping centres down to a lack of asset management. It used to be the case that, once a scheme had been bought, its value would rise automatically year by year. “There was no need for good asset management skills,” Varnham asserted, leading to a “skills gap” whereby out-of-practice managers lack the qualities and methods to run a successful shopping centre.
“We need to give managers the skills to operate secondary shopping centres, and part of BCSC’s focus over the next year will be passing on these skills.”
“Shopping centres are assets right in the heart of town centres. They should act as job creators and provide social cohesion. The problems with secondary centres represent a downward spiral in vulnerable areas, and this latest study shows exactly the magnitude of these issues so that we can solve the problems of falling income and deteriorating assets,” he said.
The organisation’s role in wider society and politics will also be on Varnham’s agenda throughout 2010. “I want to help the BCSC raise its voice. We need to play a key part in representing the industry to our Government.”
