Shopping for something different: the future of shopping centres in London

London’s shopping centres are having to adapt and change. Join us for a discussion and insight into how this change can be successfully managed and what the implications are for development and placemaking in the capital. Across London, trends in retail and leisure, accelerated by the pandemic, are now being borne out. The growth in online spend has forced retailers to reassess the role of their physical estates. And the balance of how people spend their leisure time is shifting as consumers are starting to prioritise social activities over possessions. Customer expectations are focusing on curated experiences and tech-enabled concepts, with retailers responding with new formats and investors and local authorities considering how to create a place which will encourage customers to visit and linger. Set against a backdrop of an excess in retail floorspace in the capital and the need to reinvigorate some town centres and increase housebuilding, there is the prospect of some significant retail assets being repurposed to meet new demands. London needs to make this change quickly and effectively, so how best to achieve it? Speakers: Virginia Blackman, Principal, National Head Site Assembly & Compulsory Purchase, Avison Young Sam Cotton, Head of Asset Management & Leasing, Battersea Power Station Kimberley Grieveson, Principal, Avison Young Jonathan Martin, Director of Inward Investment & Higher Education Academic Relationships, London Borough of Waltham Forest Mike Nisbet, Head of Development — Urban Regeneration, Landsec