Sowdens help Prospect Centre scoop national retail marketing award

Hull, UK: This morning saw marketing firm Sowden & Sowden help put Prospect Shopping Centre on the national stage.

As part of the company’s marketing services, Sowdens entered the shopping centre for a prestigious Opal Award, which are distributed by the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC).

The BCSC Opal Awards aim to promote the best use of commercial space within shopping malls. In the commercial events/markets/exhibitions category, Prospect Shopping Centre beat high calibre national competition from The Drive in Film Club at Brent Cross Shopping Centre, London, Guildhall Shopping Centre, Exeter for their Street Food Market, Intu Broadmarsh, Nottingham for their Match Room Sport Carl Frotch promotion, theCentre:mk Milton Keynes for their Jurassic Golf and Christmas Cabins events and Westfield Shopping Centre Stratford, London for their Spring into Summer initiative.

Comedian Rob Beckett revealed Prospect and Sowden & Sowden as the winner at a presentation breakfast this morning at Kings Place, London, Thursday 10 April.

The announcement caps a successful year for the Centre, which saw a growth in footfall by 30%* and increased tenancy to almost 100% capacity.

Summarising the numerous events held by the Centre between 2013 and 2014, the submission included the creation of the UPMarket, a market selling a range of craft items and handmade products, the X Factor auditions, which discovered Ryan Mathie, and Movie Buffs, which saw memorabilia from the silver screen go on sale. The highlight of the year was undoubtedly a 15-year lease signed by CPL Foods to re-launch the upper level food court as strEAT.

Polly Sowden, director of Sowden & Sowden, who contributed to the entry, said:

“In the wake of the 2017 City of Culture news this is yet another feather in our cap, we’ve beaten some major players in the retail sector by scooping the top award in this category and it’s testament to the determination and passion from Hull’s longest established shopping centre and agency; Prospect Centre and Sowden & Sowden.”

Lee Appleton, Centre Manager at Prospect Centre comments “We’re elated, it’s fantastic for the centre, for the team and it’s credit to the relationship we have with Sowdens and how we worked together to win this award.”

*Based on days that individual events took place, when compared to the same day of the previous year.

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