Premier Retail Marketing
"Our passion for retail will drive your success"
Premier Retail Marketing is a leading mainstreet consultancy that aims to guide your city centre, mainstreet or town centre toward success by applying the best practices and experiences from around the world. The company has been engaged by Councils, Trader Associations and businesses in Australia and overseas to assess their mainstreet dynamics with the goal to improve the performance of businesses, reduce vacancies, attract more customers and guide the mainstreet to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Retail Services
Premier Retail Marketing can guide your city centre, mainstreet or town centre toward success by applying the best strategies and actions from around the world. The company has been engaged by many Councils and Business Associations to assess their mainstreet dynamics with the goal to improve the performance of businesses in the mainstreet using their collaborative strength. David’s unique experience and ‘hands-on’ approach adds value to each project he delivers and he understands the key success drivers including business mix, governance, business engagement, clean & safe, building presentation and streetscape design that benefits business.
PRM can analyse the business mix in your mainstreet and town centre and highlight gaps and opportunities that can create a vibrant mix to meet the needs of the customer catchment area.
PRM can assess the key success factors and dynamics that affect the performance of city centres, mainstreets and town centres. PRM can also benchmark results with similar locations to identify gaps and opportunities.
PRM can engage with your businesses through surveys, workshops and face to face interviews to assess the business environment and plan a way forward. Surveys can provide a more holistic view of key issues.
PRM can create a retail strategy to develop and grow the business mix to optimise outcomes. The business mix of retail, hospitality and professional services change during the lifecycle of the mainstreet or town centre.
PRM can build a Retail Report Card and SWOT analysis from online business surveys, workshops and onsite street observations. The results are complemented by desk analysis of marketing plans, strategic plans and governance documents.
Mainstreet governance is a critical factor in the success of a mainstreet or town centre. New models of place management are proving to deliver a better environment for customers and businesses. We specialise in this critical area of private and public sector alliances.
PRINCIPAL RETAIL CONSULTANT
David West
David has over thirty years experience as a mainstreet manager, shopping centre manager and retail consultant. He has developed business plans for larger cities such as Adelaide, Christchurch, Fremantle and Queanbeyan and smaller mainstreets including Renmark, Mildura and Jetty Road in suburban and country locations. His extensive knowledge of world’s best practices can benefit your mainstreet.
David audits the key success factors of your mainstreet including governance, marketing, business mix and streetscape to develop a Retail Report Card. Action Plans are created that guide Council and businesses toward successful outcomes for the mainstreet or city centre. David shares his knowledge in his ‘Mainstreet Management – Successful Strategies’ book that is available here.
David has worked in Council and in private business. He is a Member of MainstreetSA, Mainstreet Australia and Mainstreet America and he has received many awards for his work in shopping centres and mainstreets. He volunteers his time to the MainstreetSA Committee and the Adelaide Business Collective Committee.
David is a Member of:
MAINSTREETS, CITY CENTRES AND REGIONAL TOWNS
David West the Director of Premier Retail Marketing is skilled in his assessment of mainstreet, town centre and city dynamics. that impact on results. David engages small businesses in the analysis process through surveys, interviews and workshops to ensure a cross section of views is heard and understood. He also defines the role that Councils, businesses and property owners play in delivering the solutions. Council is a key partner but better results are achieved when partnerships with the private sector are formed, goals set and outcomes delivered.
The development of key actions in the areas of governance and place management, marketing and promotions, business mix and streetscape provides benefits to Councils, businesses, their customers and visitors. David taps into his vast experience from travelling and working overseas in the UK, USA and NZ so that he can bring each project the latest techniques and strategies.
KEY PROJECTS AND CLIENTS
- Eastern Region Councils SA – 14 mainstreets assessed
- Banyule City Council VIC – 11 mainstreets assessed
- Jetty Road Glenelg SA
- City of Unley SA
- City of Adelaide SA
- City of Christchurch NZ
- Fed Square Melbourne VIC
- Heart of London UK
- City of Perth WA
- Kings Cross Partnership NSW
- Renmark-Paringa Council SA
- Mildura CBD VIC
- Queanbeyan CBD NSW
- Fremantle WA
- City of Albany WA
- Wollongong NSW
Mainstreet Management Book
Successful Retail Strategies
The author David West has been working and consulting for mainstreets and shopping centres for 30 years and he has travelled to the UK, USA and NZ to find the best examples. In his book you will discover how to engage businesses, improve the business mix and effectively promote your mainstreet using some great tips.
“If you are in Local Government, a Business Association or you are a motivated mainstreet trader a consultant or student in Place Management, Economic Development or Retailing, then I recommend you read this book.”
– Steve Bentley (Past President, Mainstreet Australia)
Recent Projects
Queanbeyan
New South Wales
The primary aim of the Project was to engage Council, the businesses and the community to develop a vision and direction for the City Centre. The retail mix and customer catchment areas were analysed to better understand market share leakage and opportunities for future growth. A clear action plan was presented to QPRC Elected Members and businesses.
The Final Retail Growth Strategy and Action Plan included a SWOT Analysis, Tenancy Mix Analysis, Customer Surveys, City Centre Key Issues, Success Factors, Retail Trends, Development Opportunities and Key Recommendations.
Martin Darcy Project Manager QPRC.
Renmark
South Australia
The Renmark Retail Report Card provided a snapshot of the business environment and formed the foundation for strategies, actions and improvements over the next twelve months. The Report Card provided a results benchmark that can be compared year on year internally and externally against other successful examples.
“In a time of quick decision making and uncertainty the Retail Report Card was easily adaptable to how Council could best support the Renmark business community during the recent floods.”
Dara Frankel – Economic Development Officer – Renmark-Paringa Council.
Mildura CBD
Victoria
Premier Retail Marketing completed a Business Needs Survey and retail analysis to complement the extensive economic and design analysis being delivered by JENSEN Plus as key elements of the CBD Revitalisation Project. The business sector was asked about governance, marketing & promotion, business mix and streetscape to help shape strategies moving forward.
“Council has found the Retail Report Card has complemented the Urban Design Framework project due to the streetscape improvements that are complemented by high standards of mainstreet management, marketing, event delivery and proactive business searches for new shops and services. We also received an excellent governance score that can be assessed annually.”
Danielle Hobbs – Managing Director City Heart Mildura.
HOW IS YOUR MAINSTREET PERFORMING?
Retail Report Card
The Retail Report Card is an objective snapshot of your mainstreet or precinct current performance. Businesses and property owners are surveyed and asked to rate the quality of governance, marketing, business mix and the streetscape environment and benchmarked against other mainstreets.
A full page Action Plan is developed to guide each area forward and to highlight the importance and role that businesses, property owners, leasing agents and Council play.
12 Key Factors of Success
What makes a mainstreet successful?
Here are the key factors behind successful mainstreets. Although ‘fix the parking’ is often seen as the silver bullet that will magically improve a mainstreet, it is only one of many factors that must be adding value to the area. Governance is a key factor as it provides the glue that brings all factors together.
“Successful mainstreets don’t just happen” is a valuable headline shared by Patrice Frey the previous President of Mainstreet America.
With our compliments please download the Free PDF that explains the 12 Key Success Factors in more detail.
BIDs in Australia
The New Sydney Waterfront BID in NSW is Australia’s first Business Improvement District (BID). BIDs are world best practice place management models. and they have arrived.
3000 BIDs are operating successfully in the UK, USA, Canada, NZ, Singapore and South Africa. The first BID in Bloor West Toronto (Canada) commenced in 1970 and is still going strong. BIDs fully engage the business sector as they empower them to guide the future of their mainstreet.
The BIDs are created when businesses in a defined area (like a mainstreet) vote to implement a business plan that has an allocated budget and delivers services and benefits over and above the Council baseline services. Many of the steps to create a BID include best practice mainstreet management strategies, however enabling legislation gives the business vote a legally recognised status. *NSW is in the process of developing legislation to enable BID pilots to be established across the state and this will lead the way for other states to follow.
Working with Councils
David’s experience in Local Government and private business means that he brings a unique level of understanding to each project he undertakes. David worked with the City of Adelaide in his role as Rundle Mall Manager and a subsequent role as Senior Retail Advisor developing and delivering the Experience Adelaide – City Retail Strategy. Premier Retail Marketing has worked with smaller regional Councils like Renmark-Paringa, Albany, Queanbeyan and Mildura in addition to larger City Councils like the City of Perth, City of Adelaide, City of Melbourne, City of Parramatta and the City of Christchurch.
Retail Blog
Recently I visited the UK, and I was able to see first hand the benefits a retail precinct can receive from a proactive Business Improvement District Strategy. Leeds, Norwich, Chester and Bury St Edmunds are wonderful Cities using this very effective best practice strategy. I was impressed with the many practical methods they used to manage the street including their program to use Community Safety Officers in Chester CBD who are in the process of becoming a police officer in the future.
I also caught up with Martin Blackwell (Norwich BID) and Mark Cordell CEO of Our Bury St Edmunds BID and discussed their priorities including marketing & promotions, events, safe & clean, access and facilities and support for businesses. In this area their are around 400 businesses working collaboratively to benefit the precint. The UK has over 300 Business Improvement Districts and they are proving to be best practice in place management.
Public Speaking
David has delivered Conference and Seminar presentations across Australia and in New Zealand, Turkey, Singapore, London and Washington. He can tailor presentations to your business community, Elected Members and property owners.
Topics include:
• The Mainstreet Management Difference
• Sustainable Funding Models
• Business Mix or Mix up?
• Mainstreet Marketing
• Retail Promotions
• Retail Research
• The Customer Comes First
• Business Engagement
• Place Management – The New Generation
Our Clients feedback
“The Report Card developed by Premier Retail Marketing has benchmarked our business needs, key stakeholders roles and responsibilities, and short term and long term strategies. We are now able to refer to this document in our strategic planning and goal setting, and also have a much better understanding of the role Council can play in continuing to build a strong and vibrant town centre economy”.
Dara Frankel – Renmark Paringa-Council
“Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council appointed Premier Retail Marketing and
Foresight Partners to determine the current situation of retailing in the Queanbeyan City Centre and to identify potential for future retail growth. The project provided
the Council with valuable understanding and clear directions to develop a quality retail offer and sustainable growth”.
Martin Darcy – Queanbeyan-Palerang Council
“David has an enquiring mind, approachable manner and great focus as well as encyclopaedic knowledge of experiences from across the world. We would be very comfortable in recommending David for any commission involving steps to (re)grow interest, positive experiences and effective (business led) management of shopping areas of any size and scale.“
John Meeker – Principal Advisor – Urban Regeneration, Christchurch City Council
PRM. is a member of these valuable organisations that are passionate workers for mainstreets across the world
Photo Credits – Santa Monica – Downtown, Santa Monica
Renmark – Grant Schwartzkopff
Mildura – City Heart
Adelaide Arcade – Adelaide Arcade Management
