EMERGING LONDON 2018

How do you sum up Battersea Power Station to people who don’t know it? What I try and do first and foremost is to get them to come to Battersea. As one of central London’s largest regeneration projects, there is a lot of focus on what will happen in the future. This £9 billion regeneration will deliver new state-of- the-art office space, thousands of new homes, hundreds of restaurants, shops, cafes, bars, a hotel, new cultural venues, over 18-acres of public space and major infrastructure improvements including a new Zone 1 London Underground Tube Station. We’re very much open to the public already, so that’s why I’m keen for people to come down here. And presumably a retail one as well? Very much so. We are carefully handpicking the brands and operators as we want to offer consumers something very special. Really understanding the customer and delivering what they want forms a core piece of our offer. That means creating an environment that has never been seen before. Is that why your retail leasing strategy is based on an innovative brand-led approach? We don’t think that the traditional way of having several department stores anchoring the scheme is relevant for us. Battersea is a one-off. We look at the Power Station as an anchor in its own right. The building itself drives people to visit and what we’ll put inside is a showcase of the absolute best and SAM COTTON, RETAIL LEASING DIRECTOR, BATTERSEA POWER STATION DEVELOPMENT COMPANY And when they do, what kind of reactions do you see? Visitors from overseas are usually wowed by the scale of the place and the Power Station building itself and love the ‘selfie’ moment in front of the chimneys. UK visitors who don’t live on the doorstep are stunned by howmuch has changed and are excited about what it is going to be transformed into. So they can see it’s not just a giant building site, but a place where people already work and live? Most definitely. Community is key to us. A huge amount of effort has gone into creating a development that fosters a genuine sense of belonging. Circus West Village, the first phase of the development, is leading the charge in an effort to transform the way people live in London. We describe what we have here as ‘Lights on London’ – a vibrant and thriving community of people enjoying the best that the capital has to offer. And part of the enjoyment will come from the core retail and leisure element due to open in 2020. We’ve thought very carefully about the mix. We know this is going to be a destination that will attract food connoisseurs, so the Power Station will include a 35,000 sq ft food hall showcasing innovative dining experiences including the latest restaurant start-ups, new concepts, and international cuisines. We expect this to be a new food destination for London. What international brands really like about London is howwe curate and look after spaces. And that we as developers or landlords actually care about how their brand operates and trades. Battersea Power Station &Nine Elms Profile Interview The four chimneys of Battersea Power Station have become modern-day icons for London. For Battersea Power Station Development Company they are also symbolic of the huge change taking place on site. Retail Leasing Director, SAMCOTTON , who is tasked with bringing in a diverse mix of retailers to the scheme’s new shopping element, explains why Battersea has chosen an innovative anchorless retail and leasing strategy, what retailers are looking for in London right now and tells us why the MBNA Thames Clippers river bus is his preferred form of transport across the capital. most exciting aspects of the retail environment of today and tomorrow . No doubt you’re already having some interesting conversations with all kinds of retailers. Yes, we speak to a huge variety, from UK start-ups to established brands from all over the world. What many of them have in common at the moment are concerns about occupancy costs and wider economic shifts. But they’re also massively excited about the future and new ways of consuming. There are some really interesting concepts coming out of the US and Asia, particularly sportswear and cosmetics. Some of the brands that are dipping their toe in London for the first time will be very good for the city in terms of adding a new dimension to its retail scene. 45 44 CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD  | EMERGING LONDON SPOTLIGHT ON BATTERSEA POWER STATION & NINE ELMS