WELCOME TO THE NEW NORMAL IN RETAIL MANAGEMENT
Back in June 2021, we were excitedly preparing to open Rhodes Central when Sydney entered another lockdown. Despite the disruption and uncertainty of another indefinite period of closures and restrictions, we knew it was vital to go ahead with our plans, to support our tenants to complete their fit out, to ensure that our eligible retailers could open and provide the community with safe and convenient access to essential retail and health services.
We had to move quickly to adapt our approach, find ways to adjust to continually changing public health requirements and meet our retailers’ needs as we navigated unknown territory.
A year later, Rhodes Central is thriving, with new retailers arriving to take up space in the centre and long-time favourites returning to full-time operation. We’ve taken the lessons from this often-chaotic period and created a roadmap for the future – our new normal.
HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED AND STRUCTURE’S RESPONSE
Adapting to this new normal presented complex challenges and opportunities to refocus our approach. Although shops and businesses have now reopened and restrictions have been lifted, there’s a whole new routine to get used to. We’re here to guide our retailers and community as they familiarise themselves with the modern retail experience.
The retailers’ need for clear and open communication was a priority. Keeping them informed during a stressful time and listening to their needs allowed us to leverage strong relationships and remove barriers adding to their concerns regarding opening during a lockdown period. We supported our retailers by providing information on various delivery apps in multiple languages to enable our single-store operators to take advantage of every avenue to generate income during lockdown. We provided an innovative incentive program to encourage sign-up and manage costs during the first few weeks of operations which reduced concerns regarding financial viability when opening during lockdown.
Our decision to take a flexible approach meant that over 70% of eligible retailers were open on our first day of trade and almost 90% were open within seven days of the centre opening.
Reduced trading hours and different shopping behaviours, such as ordering online and restrictions on social interactions, meant that our customers were not able to enjoy the atmosphere of the in-centre dining experience, but we still needed to provide them with a flavour of what would be available to them once the centre’s ‘eat street’ Bamboo Lane opened. We did this by ensuring that the environment presented as closely as possible to what they would experience when they had the opportunity to join us once restrictions eased. The result of this approach is that Rhodes Central has become the ‘community kitchen’ for Rhodes and the surrounding area, where families and local residents can be seen to utilise Bamboo Lane seven nights a week.
We also used innovative augmented reality to engage with customers in a safe and interesting way. By developing the Rhodes Central Pandemonium Augmented Reality Hunt, we could direct traffic flow to the different parts of the centre. With $10,000 in prizes on offer, it allowed us to promote the individual specialities of our different retailers and reward those customers who supported us through our first months.
Incentives such as coffee vouchers and information on health and wellness services in the centre’s e-magazine have also attracted consistent attendance.
Practical initiatives, such as offering Australia Post and Amazon parcel lockers, have benefited the community and brought people to the centre even when trading was restricted.
MAINTAINING RELATIONSHIPS
A top priority in the past year has been the changing needs of our retailers and customers. The unpredictability of lockdown measures and the constantly changing rules left many frustrated, uncertain and anxious about the future – and highly stressed.
Having a friendly, cohesive, highly skilled team was a great advantage. Building on the personal relationships developed throughout the year in which we’ve managed Rhodes Central, we worked one-on-one with retailers to help them manage their needs and expectations during the extended lockdown while meeting their commitments.
Interruptions to the supply chain, coupled with extreme staff shortages, meant that many businesses were struggling to meet core trading hours. Despite this, our active social media engagement meant that our customers were always aware of what was available, supporting our retailers to maximise their sales.
We worked with retailers to address their concerns and look for solutions to help them adapt to keep operating. We also took a flexible approach to mandated operating hours and relaxing trading hours for food service businesses while keeping Bamboo Lane operational to meet trading obligations.
CONNECTING WITH THE COMMUNITY
Launching during a statewide lockdown was always going to be tricky. But we decided to take it slow, and the strategy paid off. Instead of launching with great fanfare, our “always-on” approach means there’s a changing schedule of entertainment and activity on offer at any one time, so there’s always something new and exciting to engage the community.
Embracing the new normal over the last year has also meant finding new ways to stay connected during extended periods apart.
The Light Up Your Socials project allows guests to visit the Projected Moments light installation and take a selfie against the vibrant and colourful projected backdrops to share on social media, highlighting how we use social media and online communication to stay close to loved ones.
And with more time spent at home, acknowledging our pets’ role, we have been working with the local council to create and sponsor programs offering information sessions for pet owners. In addition, regular school holiday events and holiday entertainment are part of the schedule.
We found that doing continual, small activations rather than events to draw mass crowds worked well and attracted people who may have felt less comfortable in crowds.
In our Lunar New Year celebrations, which were larger scale, we ensured retailers and visitors could attend safely.
RHODES TO THE FUTURE
Using what we’ve learnt in the past year, Structure is taking the lead to guide retailers and the community as they adapt to new ways of working, shopping, and living at Rhodes.