Leeds should not settle for being the best shopping destination in the North but should aim to be the best in the UK. This was the bold consensus reached by retail industry specialists, property developers, architects and shopping centre directors at the recent Leeds Loves Shopping Retail Industry Day.

The delegation said that the city was getting ready to become the UK’s fourth largest retail centre when Trinity Leeds opens in Spring 2013 but agreed there is still more to be done.

Brought together by Marketing Leeds and Leeds City Council’s City Centre Management, the group including Land Securities’ Gerald Jennings and Martin Farrington, Director of Development at Leeds City Council came together with the delegation to examine how Leeds city centre’s retail and leisure sectors can develop and thrive. 

Delegates at a session run by project managers Buro Four, cited that the public and private sectors must work together to increase civic pride and turn challenges into unique opportunities that will make Leeds stand out from other cities. The city already benefits from innovative retail concepts, such as The Source, a multi purpose event space in Kirkgate Market, as well as a thriving vintage scene. Many areas of the city centre, however, they said, would benefit from improvement if we are to provide an all round experience, increase dwell time whilst appealing to savvy shoppers and competing with online shopping. 

A team of visionaries assembled by Buro Four also offered suggestions for improving flow throughout the city centre, encouraging the latest retail trends and enhancing the shopper experience of the public realm. 

John Murphy, Director, Buro Four explains; "Retail is constantly changing, and we need to examine how Leeds can respond to the very latest retail trends and developments from around the world. A strong, seamless retail, cultural, leisure and transport strategy for Leeds is integral to achieving this". 

Hosted by Land Securities, other sessions on the day included a briefing for store managers on the new developments set to transform the city’s evening economy including Trinity Leeds and the Arena, both due for completion 2013, as well as being given an overview of the retail training opportunities at Leeds City College which will ensure that any skills gaps are filled. 

The day closed with the opportunity for Leeds Metropolitan University Retail Marketing Management students and Fashion Retail students at Leeds City College to hear about the Trinity Leeds development and the guiding principles behind the brand. It was also a chance for students to apply the development to their own studies and anticipate employment opportunities that the new retail destination will bring to the city.

Claire Reynolds, Marketing Manager, Trinity Leeds said: “The whole day was a great success. Firstly talking to retailers about the positive impact both Trinity Leeds, and the Arena will have on Leeds, secondly looking at the wider Leeds picture and opportunities for the city to become the best in the UK.

“Engaging with young people is key to keeping great talent in Leeds. We were pleased to offer retail marketing management students the opportunity to hear first hand the brand story for Trinity Leeds - it helps bring to life their university courses and puts them in touch with the career building opportunities within a scheme of this size.” 

The series of briefings and seminars formed a major part of the Leeds Loves Shopping festival, the UK’s only retail festival.

Cath Follin, Head of City Centre and Markets at City Centre Management, organisers of Leeds Loves Shopping, along with Marketing Leeds said: “The sessions held at Trinity Leeds have been both inspiring and encouraging. The retail industry is incredibly important to the city of Leeds. We already have a vibrant retail sector but Trinity Leeds and Eastgate Quarters, as well as the new Arena, can only help to ensure the city continues to be renowned as a premier retail destination nationally and internationally. What’s more, the new developments provide us with an opportunity to articulate the fact that Leeds is also home to a great number of talented young entrepreneurs, designers and independent boutiques. ”

Leeds offers a unique combination of shopping with over 2msq ft of retail space and 971 outlets to date. The £350m Trinity Leeds scheme is also well underway in construction. The first major retail led development to start outside London since the downturn, Trinity Leeds will create 3,000 new jobs and project the city to 4th in the country’s retail rankings, where it currently sits at 7th. Together with the development of Eastgate Quarters, which was granted planning permission in July, an additional £1b will be invested in the city’s retail sector. 

Leeds Loves Shopping is part of a suite of city festivals hosted in Leeds that celebrate the city’s diverse sector-specific offers and follows on from the successful Leeds Loves Food festival, which attracted over 40,000 visitors to Millennium Square and other city venues for a weekend of food and drink in July.

Leeds Loves Shopping is organised and delivered by Marketing Leeds and Leeds City Council’s City Centre Management and is supported by the Leeds Retail Association, City colleges as well as retailers and traders.

For more information and to view an updated calendar of events, visit www.leedslovesshopping.com.

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