Shopping centers don’t struggle because people stopped spending money. They struggle because owners keep running them the same way they did thirty years ago.
When footfall drops, the usual reaction is to offer rent discounts or launch another marketing campaign. But cosmetic fixes can’t save an outdated business model. Real turnarounds only happen when you take an honest look at a building and give people a practical reason to walk through the doors.
Alan Thornton has spent more than 25 years working with major UK retail and leisure destinations. As Managing Director of AL Marketing, his focus is on what actually brings people back to physical spaces. Here, he shares the practical lessons from turning around The Galleria in Hatfield—and how an aging 1990s outlet center found a second life as a thriving community destination.
Key take aways:
- Win your neighbors before chasing distant shoppers: You can’t depend on people driving from an hour away if the families living ten minutes down the road never visit. Build steady, everyday footfall with locals and students first; regional visitors will follow.
- Double down on what already works: You rarely need to invent an entirely new concept from scratch. The Galleria had a busy children’s play area inside a struggling mall. Upgrading that single space drew more families, which gave the leasing team the proof they needed to sign The Entertainer for its largest UK store.
- Don’t let empty units just sit there: Empty units don’t have to stay dead space while you wait for a retail tenant. By renting vacant areas to film crews for Netflix, the BBC, and Warner Bros., the center earned alternative income and created positive buzz across the region.
