With 30 years in shopping centre management, Janet Leatherland has seen the role transform beyond recognition. Now Centre Director at one of the City of London’s most iconic Grade I Listed buildings, she talks partnership over hierarchy, the art of doing more with less, and why presence – in every sense – is what great centre management is really about.

We sat down with Janet to explore how the profession has evolved, what managing a Grade I listed building really demands, and what it takes to thrive in 2026.

The attitude towards retailers. When I was starting out, there was a real culture in some places of seeing retailers as difficult. And I always thought; that’s completely wrong. It’s meant to be a partnership. We are all here for the good of the building. My job is to make sure every occupier can trade to the best of their ability.

The centre manager used to be more like a caretaker. Open the building, lock the building, keep it safe and secure. That’s a very different role to what we do now. You are the figurehead. The person the landlord relies on to be the spokesperson for their asset and their community.

The exterior of The Royal Exchange is famous: everybody knows what it looks like from the outside. The challenge is that people don’t necessarily know what’s inside. A lot of visitors think it’s the Bank of England. So, a big part of what we’ve been doing since the owners [The Ardent Companies] purchased it three years ago is changing those perceptions, making it clear that everyone is welcome to come in.

One of the things that’s made the biggest difference is putting branded planters and seating outside the building: for example, The Engel Bar with its seasonal al fresco terrace. It brings the offer out into public view. People can see there’s somewhere to go, and once they’re inside, they stay. That’s been a genuine game-changer for us.

It is possible here because we have a relatively small footprint – around 45 units – and because I have very strong support from Workman. When I’m away, the security manager steps up, and Workman colleagues can be onsite if needed. We also have a reliable marketing agency and M&E contractor, so there are remote teams around me.

What’s changed is the level of efficiency delivered by tech – all the admin that used to require support staff, calendar management, emails, reporting – we now do ourselves. The skills required have shifted enormously. You have to be confident with data and systems, strong on communication, and able to walk into a room of 100 people you’ve never met and hold a conversation. That wouldn’t have been in the job description 20 years ago.

We work the budget very hard. We do a lot of social media, a lot of reposting of retailers’ content – that costs next to nothing, and promotes the building. We take advantage of events our retailers are putting on and amplify them.

And we lean into the building itself. At Christmas, we wrap the columns and put up lights, and people have started to associate that with the season in the City. The Royal Exchange has become part of the visual language of Christmas here.

We also have a newsletter that’s more locally targeted – retailers can put in stories, new launches, seasonal content. That balances out the global reach of social media, which is great for awareness, but won’t necessarily put someone in a black cab to Bank.

Retailers are facing enormous occupational costs. Business rates, staffing, everything going up. So our occupiers quite rightly want to see exactly what they’re getting for their service charge, and a very clear explanation of where money is going. If there are unforeseen costs – for example we had a vacuum pump failure a few weeks ago, which cost around £16,000 we hadn’t budgeted for – then I go back to occupiers with the full story. The report, the explanation, what happened and why. Hiding things, or not being transparent, makes people suspicious. Honesty is what builds trust.

I want everyone in this part of the City to think of the Royal Exchange first – for music performances, Christmas lights, civic events. The best way to achieve that is to be present, to be useful, and to build relationships. The BID brings together people with completely different skill sets: hospitality, insurance, heritage organisations. That network is genuinely valuable when you need to solve a problem or make something happen.

We’re also working with the City of London’s “Destination City” initiative, pushing for better visitor basics: public toilets at Bank station, clearer signage. You can’t build a great visitor economy on top of broken fundamentals.

The owners [The Ardent Companies] are here almost every week, which is unusual, and they are very much at the table on letting strategy, asset decisions, everything. That collaborative approach means my opinion has genuine weight. It’s the most inclusive ownership I’ve worked with, and it makes a real difference to what you can achieve.

Passion for the building you look after. A strong voice in your local community. The willingness to be out and about, visible, making connections. And an understanding that your retailers’ success is your success. If you’re not willing to put yourself out there – to be a key part of the place you’re in – I think you’ll find the role increasingly difficult. The days of being behind a desk are long gone.