The Retail Management Team of international property management specialist JLL was celebrating this week, when two of their managed shopping schemes received three top honours between them at the industry’s glittering SCEPTRE awards evening.
Mark Haynes was named Manager of the Year (large centre) for his work at Crawley’s County Mall, whilst the customer service team at The Glades, Bromley, scooped the CS Team of the Year title. The same scheme’s 28-year-old Facilities Manager, Georgia Hillyard, was also crowned the Young Achiever of the Year, making it a triumphant trio of awards on the night.
Jordan Jeffery, Head of Retail Management with JLL, said he was thrilled with the awards. “Our people – their expertise, experience and professionalism – are the lifeblood of our business, and they are what we pride ourselves on,” he said. “These awards clearly demonstrate that our people are amongst the very best in the business, and they are all a well-deserving source of pride for everyone here at JLL.”
Mark Haynes has focused on enhancing customer experience and customer service at County Mall, attracting 8 million visitors to the 480,000 sq ft scheme, recently overseeing the centre’s 25th anniversary celebrations.
“Mark has built and developed excellent relationships with all his tenants,” said Jordan. “He makes daily store visits with retailers and anchor tenants to understand their business needs and performance, and it is this approachable, hands-on style that means Mark is a centre manager they can rely on.
“He is also a key member of the wider community, chairing the Town Centre Partnership and being heavily involved in fundraising and community work, with his achievements including the opening of Crawley’s very first Changing Places facility.”
Following LaSalle’s acquisition of The Glades in late 2016, the guest services team were tasked with implementing some significant changes to the scheme, including relocating the Shopmobility facility to help improve services for disabled customers, and also removing the traditional Guest Services desk and interacting differently with customers.
“This was a decision that was not taken lightly,” explained Jordan, “and the team worked diligently and tirelessly with affected customers – many of whom plan their route around the centre carefully – to explain what was happening and why, and to handle their concerns sensitively. To their credit and our delight, within just one week of the new area opening, Shopmobility use had increased by as much as 20 per cent per day.”
Georgia Hillyard’s award is the latest milestone in a relatively short but already impressive 12-year career, which has seen her progress from teenage retail assistant to the position of the Bromley scheme’s Facilities Manager at just 28.
“Georgia has demonstrated aptitude, talent and skills the likes of which any seasoned professional would be proud, and to have done so at her age is real cause for recognition,” added Jordan. “Her Young Achiever award is not only well-deserved, but I’m sure will be just one of many she will receive in her future career.
“All these latest awards serve to not only underline the way we nurture talent and provide world class training at JLL,” he said, “but also that we excel in every area of retail management, from operations through to customer service. Our wholehearted congratulations and thanks go to each and every one of our winners.”
