St David’s shines at Shopping Centre Marketing Oscars

Winning two prestigious Purple Apple Awards in front of the retail property industry’s elite, the shopping centre shone at the British Council of Shopping Centre’s (BCSC) Annual Purple Apple Marketing Awards in central London.

Recognised for its outstanding launch campaign, St David’s in Cardiff scooped two of the three Purple Apples awarded during the evening for its strategic overall integrated campaign and public and media relations strategy.

The St David’s marketing team worked with four agencies on the launch of what was the biggest shopping centre to open in Europe last year. St David’s commissioned public relations agency Golley Slater, creative agency Different, media buying agency Zeffa and event management company Xcite to deliver its integrated marketing campaign.
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More than 120 entries were submitted for this year’s awards, showcasing exceptional talent and creative marketing techniques across the retail property industry. St David’s is the first Land Securities shopping centre to win an esteemed Purple Apple Award.

A staggering 20 million shoppers have visited St David’s since its launch in October 2009, with more than 95 stores and restaurants now open for business. St David’s has also benefited the city of Cardiff with footfall in the Welsh capital up almost 50 percent in the same period.

Helen Morgan, marketing manager at St David’s, commented: “Winning these awards is testament to the hard work and commitment shown by our dedicated team. To win one Purple Apple would have been a great achievement, but to win two is fantastic.

“Working on the launch of St David’s was very exciting and a great experience. St David’s has transformed and regenerated the city centre, attracted new brands, created new jobs and put Cardiff on the UK map as a retail destination. We are all extremely proud of what we have accomplished.”

BCSC described St David’s launch campaign as “exceptional”. Commenting on the awardsBCSC Chief Executive Michael Green said:

“I am delighted at the calibre of the entrants that we had this year. Shopping centres are thinking of new and innovative ways to engage their local communities in order to meet the needs of the public and in turn drive sales. The success of these marketing campaigns highlights the growing importance of property marketeers and the increasingly influential role they play within the industry.”

Deborah Owen-Ellis Clark, BCSC Purple Apple Task Force Chair added; “It is fantastic to celebrate the huge range of marketing and communication campaigns that have taken place over the last twelve months. This year’s winners have shown us some great marketing techniques and they are greatly deserving of their victory. On behalf of BCSC I would like to congratulate them on their achievements.”