A watercooler moment with… Clare Andrew

A watercooler moment with Clare Andrew, MD of Shoppertainment, the commercialisation and marketing specialist

A watercooler moment with... Clare Andrew

In a nutshell, what does Shoppertainment do?

Shoppertainment works predominantly in the shopping centre industry, specialising in commercialisation and marketing. We help centres utilise all the space to its maximum potential and generate income from that space on behalf of our landlord clients. We are also specialists in creating unique events for centres throughout the UK and gaining a higher footfall, dwell time and spend for our clients.

Where did the idea for Shoppertainment come from?

I worked for international brands in marketing and events and when I moved into working in the shopping centre industry I discovered that bringing brands and marketing together enabled owners to generate greater income. There was a gap in the market; quite simply there was no other company that fused together marketing events and commercialisation. I wanted to combine the two to create an amazing shopper experience and an even better income stream for landlords.

When did you start up?

Over 15 years ago.

How has it gone so far?

It’s been going great. The business must continue to evolve within this industry, which is one of the fastest moving in the world, so it is essential we keep up. I do however love the fast pace as it allows us, as a team, to constantly think of new and brilliant ideas. We are innovative but we always make sure we have fun. We can be amazing at what we do whilst having our client’s best interests at heart.

What has been the biggest challenge so far?

The biggest challenge so far has been to adapt as the economy changed. We have to be sure we constantly stay on top of the fast-changing market we work in so our clients can have continued faith in what we can do.

How would you say you differentiate yourself from the competition?

We fuse marketing and commercialisation together and we are quite unique and specialists at what we do. The whole business, from the marketing team to our design team, is all in-house and this enables us to deliver amazing marketing and commercialisation for the assets.

What has been the best decision you have made to-date?

Ensuring that all services are provided by us under one roof as this has really given us the opportunity to develop as a company and provide strong web, commercialisation and marketing. It also resulted in strong social media strategies including a bespoke app and also to offer a whole package to our clients that we know will be delivered to a high standard.

Where do you see the business in 12 months’ time?

Utilising the team to work within different markets such as football arenas and organising and managing incredible events with new clients and markets. It’s crucial to have a long-term and short-term plan because you never know what’s around the corner. I definitely want to see us diversifying into different markets and adapt to new demands and clients’ needs. We like a challenge.

If you had one piece of advice for entrepreneurs, what would it be?

Find a forward-thinking team. I work incredibly closely with my director, Janet, and it has been great finding my best friend and a colleague in the work place. I couldn’t do it without my team. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryan McChrystal
Ryan McChrystal
RELATED ARTICLES






Share via
Copy link