Retailers set up within ICSC
The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is to launch a Retailers Group at ICSC Retail Connections 2011 on 31 March at the Business Design Centre, London.
Chaired by Scott Abbey, Vice President Real Estate Foot Locker Europe, the group will strengthen retailers’ voices at the heart of Europe’s shopping centre industry.
Abbey said: “Retailers depend on the professionalism and success of many other stakeholders in the shopping center industry, such as management, leasing and marketing teams but retailers’ needs, interests and priorities are unique.
“Landlords and agents have become very good at providing general market research and demographics for Europe. Useful as this data is, however, rarely can such general information compare to the market insight and experience of a fellow retailer doing business in a particular city or region. Retailers can learn a great deal from one another’s experience in the commercial, legal, and logistical areas and the establishment of such a group within ICSC is, in my view, long overdue.”
Few good things came out of the economic downturn, but one was that retailers and developers are now working more closely together to achieve a common aim: The right stores in the right development and location and the ICSC Retail Group aims to build on this.
Abbey’s first objective for the group is to establish relationships and a strong network within a small committed group of retailers. “Ultimately we aim to become a strong voice for retailers within the European shopping center industry. Having a voice at the heart of the industry will help ICSC provide retailers with even more relevant programmes, research and services,” he added.
