After the transformation of Cabot Circus’ carpark into a skatepark went viral, Hammerson is again reimagining its underutilised carparks with three new placemaking concepts launching this summer.
Hammerson is the owner and creator of vibrant, continually evolving destinations in some of the fastest growing cities in the UK, Ireland and France continues its strategic focus to enliven its assets.
The Group is introducing new uses, exciting new brands and repurposing spaces with a mix of retail and experiential concepts during the peak summer months to drive footfall and introduce new revenue streams.
The highlights of these brilliant new introductions to the portfolio this summer include:
Brent Cross (owned by abrdn and Hammerson)
- New signing - Big Kid Circus. A first of its kind, Hammerson is transforming an area of the Brent Cross carpark into a brand-new pop-up circus this August. Big Kid Circus features adrenaline fuelled performances from international artistes as they perform daredevil tricks that ensure maximum thrills and an unforgettable experience for everyone.
- New opening - Tesla Collection Point. The electric car brand has opened its largest collection hub in the UK at Brent Cross. Demonstrating how outdoor space with new uses and concepts can creatively attract customers. Hammerson’s new ‘Car Village’ will see customers visit Brent Cross for MOTs, glass repair, car washing, car purchases, diagnostic technology, mechanical repairs and paint chip repair services.
- New opening - Florescenza. An outdoor garden centre and the first of its kind within a UK retail and leisure destination. The standout design features a cosy central café, Il Cortile, that offers visitors a charming and vibrant space to meet and socialise throughout the year. It’s the perfect destination for events including birthdays and other celebrations. Florescenza repurposed an underused area of the carpark and is stocked with beautiful plants from across Italy.
Hammerson continues to focus on delivering its strategy. Reinvigorating its assets and actively encouraging customers to engage with its destinations in new ways. This is delivering tangible results: driving footfall and sales and creating brand demand for space across its portfolio of quality, city centre assets.
Recent successes include:
- Skatepark with Red Bull at Cabot Circus, Bristol – Repurposing part of the car park over half term, Hammerson introduced a new skate park featuring Red Bull’s Curb Kings’ contest, skate lessons for kids whilst Team GB skater, Alex Decunha, created viral social content. As a result, the destination saw an increase in footfall of 19.6%.
- Supercar Weekend at Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin – The carpark was brought to life with supercar test driving, a vintage car showcase, food, beverage and entertainment – increasing footfall by 46%.
Harry Badham, Chief Development & Asset Repositioning Officer, Hammerson, commented: “We are passionate about creating best-in-class customer experiences by repurposing and reinvigorating under-utilised spaces at our destinations. Over the last 12 months, we have completely transformed how we use our car parks and continue to test new concepts and ideas, that has seen us introduce new partnerships and provide customers with completely new ways to engage with our spaces.
“The introduction of a new circus, garden centre and car collection point at Brent Cross demonstrates this creativity and continues to build on the momentum we created last year through Cabot Circus’ skatepark which was the first of its kind anywhere in the UK.
“From reconfiguring and repurposing our spaces to reimagining the overall experience, our focus is, and will remain on, attracting and engaging our visitors in new, smart and memorable ways. We are very excited to welcome visitors to our spaces to enjoy these new concepts over the summer.”
ENDS