Retail mission to keep the customer satisfied

THE world of shopping is constantly changing. Customers, given free rein by the evergrowing digital age, can buy their favourite items without even stepping over their front doorstep.

The high street, as people know it, is facing an increasingly difficult battle to maintain its position in consumers’ lives, with once prominent companies falling by the wayside.

Once strong firms, such as Jessops, HMV and Republic have recently hit hard times, with industry experts warning to expect more casualties.

However, speak to Debbie Anderson, centre manager of Middlesbrough’s Cleveland Centre, and that gloomy outlook for the old-fashioned shopping experience is quickly tempered.

Mrs Anderson is a former police officer, and met her husband, Roy, when they were assigned together on undercover investigations.

But speak to her and you soon see there is no secret plan for success in her managerial career, just plain old hard work and diligence to give people what they want.

Overseeing the rebranding and remarketing of the 490,000sq ft centre, formerly known as The Mall, she said far from fearing the future of the retail experience, the changing environment should be embraced for the benefit of companies and their customers.

She said: “It is a challenging industry and we have to make sure we are providing the things that consumers want.

“A lot of sales nowadays are being done on computers or smart phones and we have to be flexible to work with that and make it more of a lifestyle decision, rather than just shopping.

“People know what they want and when they want it and I think there will always be a high street.

“We are all social creatures and enjoy the physical element of interacting with other people and having the opportunity to physically shop by picking up and looking at what we are buying.

“We need to move with the times and make sure we are giving people that choice.

Companies are downsizing but still giving customers full access to their products.”

It might seem an obvious tactic, but Mrs Anderson knows what she’s talking about.

A former manager at The Gate, in Newcastle, and Morpeth’s Sanderson Arcade, her expertise has seen the Middlesbrough centre deliver excellent results during the past year, with more than ten million people shopping at the site and income rising by 50 per cent.

Those figures might suggest a profuse ringing of cash tills, but Mrs Anderson, chairwoman of Middlesbrough Business Crime Partnership, remains cautious but optimistic it can continue the success.

She said: “There are reports that say by 2020 about 25 per cent of all retail sales will be online.

“We have to therefore enhance our shopping experience with things like free WiFi for customers to use while they are sitting and having a coffee.”

Her former police career may seem a world away from shopping centres and retail campaigns, but Mrs Anderson insists it gave her the perfect grounding for her current role.

She said: “I had a family background with the police and I knew it was something that I wanted to get into.

“It was a great career, I learnt so much about life and met so many different types of people that have helped me with what I am doing now.”

And that positivity is reflected in the latest plan Mrs Anderson is overseeing at The Cleveland Centre – a 125-room hotel complete with a 180-seat restaurant, with work due to start next month.

She said: “We have worked really hard on that and it will be an absolutely fantastic addition.

It will enhance the town and be an asset which will make the town and the area much nicer.”