Page 43 - November 2021

Retail and leisure in combination are experiencing a moment of rediscovery, and ART’s part has been to support placemakers through it
and to help them utilise more refined data to further understand and influence the trajectory of each destination’s potential.
“Today’s investors and brand partners are asking for more. Different destinations have different priorities and each strategy needs to be
supported. From increasing store revenues and repeat visits to overall density, we work with site teams and asset managers to tailor the
metrics being monitored and power them with reports that establish the best routes to achieve specific targets,” says Jordan.
In recent times the business has been doing a lot more direct consultancy and working very closely with sites to unlock better data
capture and comparative analysis. Their experience in innovation puts them in a prime position to understand and improve processes and
assist with best practice approaches to grow brand partner engagement.
Since its inception, Retail Advantage has built on tenant engagement with flexible communication and adaptive reports tailored to brand
partners or specific categories for market intelligence. “Retail Advantage was born in data-rich environments such as Designer Outlets and
so it is here that the company has seen the most change, yet in many ways, they have been doing things right for a long time,” says Jordan.
Anand Basu-Attwood, Commercial Operations Manager at Resorts World comments on his personal experience of the impact of
the solution for Realm, whose holistic strategy and presence in Outlets and across the retail and leisure property sector has seen great
successes over the last 20 years.
“We use data daily to help and nurture our brand partners with a 360-degree picture of how they trade in comparison to others in
their category, the centre trading averages and comparisons to other locations within our portfolio. Our management style is collaborative
and supportive, it helps tremendously that Realm staff are predominantly from a retail background meaning that we see our role as
collaborators. Sharing the results and insights we get from Retail Advantage makes us leaders rather than managers or simple custodians,
there is a much greater sense of proactivity and not relying on chance when making important decisions.”
The Retail Advantage platform has been particularly beneficial for the changing needs of mixed-use developments that are testing and
implementing new activities and lease structures. Jordan feels there has been an upswing in a trend towards the appeal of local lifestyle
with sites tapping into independents, onsite events or bringing in ideas from what’s around them, capitalising on local offerings and nearby
attractions as a resource. He goes on to say that introducing the right leisure components and meaningful experiences to serve the new
customer’s needs also requires analytics to nurture the balance.
“People managing mixed-use developments are using Retail Advantage to help meet the challenges and opportunities unique to this
moment with an analytical approach. With our digital management tools and the data to back-up decisions, managers are in a better
position to make the fast moves needed to repurpose space or refine the location and mix of brands, food offerings and leisure.”
Looking towards the end of this year and next, ART is working to help their clients to enter 2022 stronger than ever, ensuring that
they all progress through a time that is constantly in a state of flux. Excited by the rapidly growing appetite for technology and increased
awareness of how seamless it can be, Gareth and ART are dedicated to delivering tools that are intuitive but also tailored to help each real
world destination to be the best it can be.
“Well performing destinations prioritise digital strength so we are pleased to be bringing Retail Advantage into even more schemes that
are looking to achieve ROI at store and portfolio level whilst scaling up multichannel and making use of more quality data. Connection and
community are not only part of the conversation with consumers, they are integral for the retail and leisure teams, property groups and
tenants to reveal collaborative paths.”
www.artsoftwaregroup.com
www.retailadvantage.co.uk

Resorts World Birmingham, UK

RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2021