Mark Haynes
County Mall, Crawley
Managed by JLL
Category sponsored by Retail Report
County Mall extends to 480,000 sq ft and is home to 84 stores anchored by Debenhams, Primark, Next and Boots. 2017 was an exciting year for Mark and the team, celebrating the centre’s 25th anniversary with pride. Mark has focussed on enhancing customer experience and customer service, attracting 8 million visitors and maintaining YOY footfall levels +0.1% outperforming the the national average, driving car park income up by +2.77% YOY and increasing dwell time by +21% YOY.
Mark has worked closely with the marketing team to reposition the centre’s perception in key targeted locations since the opening of new stores including Hotel Chocolat, Paperchase, DFS and Italian Kitchen, driving +2.3% YOY additional footfall from targeted affluent areas, increasing average spend by +29% and increasing circulation to combat void space with strategic marketing campaigns.
Mark prides himself on building relationships and making daily store visits to meet and talk with retailers and anchor tenants to understand their business needs and performance. With 71% of the retailers open to feeding back monthly sales data it’s evident Mark is a centre manager they can relate to and trust.
Working alongside the asset manager and leasing team, Mark has helped to deliver three store refits, two store upscales this year with most seeing double digit growth. The void rate remains low at 3.5%.
Mark is an integral member of the town and community. Chairing the Town Centre Partnership and initiating the feasibility of a BID, Mark has an influential stance in Crawley and uses his position to place County Mall at the heart of Crawley.
Mark’s fundraising and community efforts include the opening of Crawley’s very first “Changing Places” facility.
