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Battersea Power Station Retail
The high street fights back
Local business improvement districts (BIDs) are helping to boost
the fortunes of retailers in Wandsworth borough…
The UK high street has been something a modest 0.9% in January – the first rise market and inflation accelerating ahead of
of a bloodbath in recent years. since October – mainly due to moderate forecast, adds to the case that the Bank
Newsfeeds have been littered with growth in food stores (1.7%) and non-food of England should hold off cutting interest
stories about retailers going out of stores (1.3%). Meanwhile, online sales as rates. However, weakness over the festive
business, shedding jobs or closing a proportion of all retailing dropped from period means that sales volumes are only
stores as consumers increasingly 19.3% in December 2019 to 19.0% in up 0.8% year on year and still down 0.8%
choose to save their spare cash or January 2020 – indicating, perhaps, on a three-month by three-month basis.
do their shopping online. a levelling out of the online market. Despite the slight rally seen in January,
Yet despite the challenging economic markets have failed to react.
landscape, many retailers have Reacting to these statistics, the British
survived and some are even thriving. Retail Consortium (BRC) said the rise “It is essential progress is made quickly
Encouragingly, recent statistics suggest in consumer confidence since the in the upcoming EU trade negotiations
that proclamations about the death of the December election may have lifted otherwise the UK risks squandering any
high street might be a little premature. willingness to spend. boost to consumer confidence. Without
a comprehensive deal, food and other
According to the latest Retail Sales Index Kyle Monk, head of retail insights and goods will face extensive tariffs, checks
from the Office for National Statistics, analytics at the BRC, said: “A rise in sales, and delays at the border - raising costs
month-on-month UK sales volumes rose coupled with the tightness in the labour and creating disruption for consumers.”
4 | Business Connexions
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Southside Shopping Centre
“Overall, shopper numbers to UK high streets have
declined by 10% in the last seven years, so it is certainly
very challenging to achieve year-on-year sales growth.
It has to be about experience and that is one thing
online-only retailers cannot compete with.”
to offer value for money in physical outlets events such as Old York Road Unplugged,
and ensure the experience is sufficiently an annual music festival where the road
enticing to keep customers coming back. is closed to traffic. This is very popular
and a real help to businesses.
Another critical factor in retailers’ success
is the ability to offer a multi-channel “We look at cost-saving options such as
experience, where physical stores how businesses can reduce their utility
seamlessly co-exist with an online offering. bills or improve their waste management
strategies. The BID is also looking to
Pieter adds: “I also think that retailers need invest in the town by creating green
to focus on communicating their values, spaces in certain areas and improving
certainly around sustainability and staff air quality in locations where traffic
wellbeing, which I believe will be a key throughput is high.”
part of a successful growth strategy in
the future.” Another BID, This is Clapham, also
benefits businesses in the borough of
Pieter is also chairman of the Wandsworth Wandsworth, particularly those located
Despite the political and economic Business Improvement District (BID), to the west and north of Clapham Town.
uncertainty surrounding Britain’s recent which was established in 2017 to promote Established in 2014, it is a not-for-profit
exit from the European Union, retailers in the town’s heritage and culture, help company funded by 370 businesses and
Wandsworth borough are just getting on businesses improve their performance and governed by volunteers from the local
with the day-to-day job of doing business. enhance the town centre experience for business community through its board and
shoppers, visitors and workers. sub-groups. These volunteers determine
Pieter Strombeck, general manager of which projects to pursue and how the
Southside Shopping Centre, says: He says: “The BID offers a lot of collected levies and any additional
“It’s certainly not all doom and gloom. assistance for businesses including income is spent.
We’re seeing some positive performers networking opportunities, loyalty cards,
out there, especially companies with discount schemes, marketing support and Examples of successful projects
good store managers who are able to include free business recycling,
deliver great customer service. As an additional street cleaning, local area
example, Hotel Chocolat do this very well marketing and initiatives to cut crime and
and they’ve changed their focus to be anti-social behaviour. Companies and
more customer-driven rather than simply their employees can also take advantage
meeting specific sales KPIs – in effect, of offers, invitations and discounted
having fun with their customers, engaging deals via the Clapham Card, which
with them and delivering a fantastic was introduced to boost spending and
experience. Overall, shopper numbers cross-trading in the area.
to UK high streets have declined by 10%
in the last seven years, so it is certainly Jeremy Keates, manager of This is
very challenging to achieve year-on-year Clapham, says: “In the six years since we
sales growth. It has to be about experience first set up, there has been a significant
and that is one thing online-only retailers evolution in the local retailing landscape.
cannot compete with.” Although there has been a decline in
the number of traditional retailers, other
Pieter reports an encouraging growth in businesses have set up in the area and
footfall numbers at Southside over the taken space in previously empty shops.
last three months. The key challenge is
Pieter Strombeck Business Connexions | 5
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Battersea is also home for Roz Lloyd-
Williams, who has been a resident there for
more than two decades. Roz is Executive
BID Director of the Clapham Junction
BID, which is responsible for delivering
innovative projects that help to improve
the trading environment for businesses,
drive tourism and enhance the shopping
experience for residents and visitors.
Roz says: “The Junction BID is prioritising
three key themes, highlighted by BID
area businesses, during the extensive
consultation prior to the November 2018
ballot. These themes are marketing and
promotion, safe and welcoming, and events
and festivals. However, we have huge
scope for flexibility to respond perennially
to changing demands.
“We want to create effective partnerships
that enable the area to flourish. Our aim
is to identify and create as many new
opportunities and initiatives to enable
positive change. We’re maximising the
value of local events to increase footfall
The Clapham Junction BID’s new website The Junction and presence in the London events
marketplace; the Lavender in Bloom (June),
Eat & Drink The Junction (15-30 June),
Coloured Light Art Installation giant Uniqlo, elegant perfumery and The Summer Festival and Christmas Market
at Clapham Junction candlemaker Jo Malone London, and on Northcote Road for BID businesses are
one of the UK’s largest Swiss watch good examples of this. We also introduced
luxury retailers, Watches of Switzerland. street art and bespoke Christmas lights
Once open, the power station will be home last year and will be undertaking urban
to more than one hundred established, landscaping projects to add extra
luxury and emerging retail, food and character to the area.
leisure brands, providing a space for new,
“We carry out street cleansing operations
unique concepts and creative designs
and work closely with the police to make the
that will complement the host of shops
and restaurants already open at Circus BID area a safer place to live and work via,
“As well as driving forward initiatives like for example, our extensive promotion of the
free recycling and street cleaning, we’ve West Village, the first chapter in this
redevelopment. Wandsworth Business Against Crime app
also tried to promote companies via online and the launch of a new Pubwatch group
listings on our website; we’ve had about Approximately 70% of the total commercial spearheaded by the BID.”
180,000 listings in the last twelve months. space within the power station is now let,
This allows us to promote the area as a with more than 45% of the retail and leisure The Junction BID is also active on social
whole and boost the presence of individual floorspace exchanged or under offer. media and has created a consumer-facing
businesses, particularly those that don’t website - www.visitclaphamjunction.com -
have a strong online footprint. Simon Murphy, chief executive officer at with B2B elements for employees, offering
Battersea Power Station Development them special discounts, incentives and
“We’ve also been involved in schemes Company (BPSDC), said: “We are memberships.
designed to make the area more appealing delighted to be partnering with these
for residents and visitors, such as arts exciting brands which set the tone for Anthony Laban (Mint Hair London Ltd),
and public realm projects around Clapham our retail and leisure offering inside the chair of The Junction BID, says: “We’re
Common and in areas to the west of power station. On behalf of our Malaysian delighted to deliver a new consumer-facing
Clapham old town. Essentially, what shareholders we are delivering a website that really reflects the personality
we’re trying to do is to bring more people destination for our local community as of Clapham Junction and its surrounding
into the area, encourage them to spend well as London and far beyond.” environs, while delivering powerful
their money here and get businesses functionality. We chose a design system
trading with each other.” Brian Duffy, CEO of Watches of Switzerland, that could be tailored to suit both the needs
said: “We think the whole project south of of the businesses we represent, and our
In the north east of Wandsworth borough, the river is an amazing development in all
New Covent Garden Market is a vital residents and visitor market.
aspects of residential and commercial.
supplier to retailers, providing them “In addition to promoting what The Junction
with fruit, vegetables, flowers and other We have looked at the power station on the has to offer, driving footfall and increasing
wholesale goods which can then be sold landscape for a number of years and never visitors, we will be able to use the platform
onto consumers. Based in Nine Elms imagined it would become such a retail to really track and analyse our digital
since 1974, the iconic market is home to destination. We are proud to be one of the
nearly 200 businesses with around 2,500 marketing and, in turn, help businesses
flagship stores anchored by the country’s with their future marketing. The B2B ‘app’
employees. It is currently undergoing an number one luxury watch brand, Rolex.”
exciting development that will transform component launches this April which
the site into a thriving, modern food quarter. will facilitate the development of loyalty
schemes and exclusive deals at local
Meanwhile, Battersea Power Station shops, restaurants and services, with
recently announced the first line-up of UK B2B integration for Junction employees.
and international retail and leisure brands The B2C ‘app’ for consumers also
set to open their doors in the iconic Grade launches this April.”
II* listed building when it launches in 2021.
These companies include luxury fashion The BID is also introducing two new schemes
house Hugo Boss, Japanese casualwear for recycling and waste, and group amenity-
buying - to save businesses money.
6 | Business Connexions
Battersea Power Station
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