Tony Elvin, General Manager at Touchwood Shopping Centre, has been awarded Manager of the Year (Large Centre) at the 2022 Sceptre Awards.
The Sceptre Awards are an annual celebration. They highlight excellence in shopping centre management across all areas. The awards shine a spotlight on management teams, retailers, and suppliers. These entities reach the highest benchmark of performance.
During Tony’s four years as General Manager, his achievements can be seen right across Touchwood, not least of all with occupancy at 95%, which is more than before the pandemic. The judges acknowledged Tony’s immense pride in delivering for occupiers and shoppers. They recognised his efforts in prioritising the importance of building communities. Tony achieved this by managing with and through people.
Community collaboration for a memorable shopping experience at Touchwood
The Ardent Companies, a US real estate investment firm, owns Touchwood. The centre collaborates closely with various regional stakeholders. These include community groups, the local council, and the Solihull Business Improvement District. Their collective aim is to ensure a unique shopping and dining experience throughout the year for guests.
Touchwood maintains strong connections with local schools, often engaging in collaborative efforts with educational institutions. In a recent partnership with Solihull Council, schools were actively invited to participate. Their task was to create a flag using recycled materials for a chosen Commonwealth country. The 16 flags formed a trail around the centre. Visitors participated by answering quiz questions and identifying each flag. Additionally, the centre connected with a nearby special needs school. Three students from the school attend each week for work experience. Remarkably, one of them was later employed as part of the centre’s housekeeping team.
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- Tony Elvin, General Manager at Touchwood Solihull
Tony Elvin, General Manager at Touchwood (pictured), said: “I am absolutely delighted to be awarded the title of Manager of the Year. Any award win like this requires a huge team effort. From my local Touchwood crew, to our leasing team, a proactive and supportive landlord, asset management team and Head Office at Workman, we are all on the same page, trying to create the best possible experience for our guests. All of this happens within the most collaborative town centre environment possible. With 95% tenant occupancy and footfall, retailer sales within single digits of pre-pandemic levels, thanks to our guests, we’ve got something good going that isn’t necessarily happening everywhere else.”
