Prospect Shopping Centre shortlisted for national award after pioneering event which saw 16.3% footfall increase

A Hull shopping centre has been shortlisted for one of the most prestigious retail industry awards in the country.

Prospect Shopping Centre, part of NewRiver Retail, will find out if it is the winner of the Event category in the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC) Purple Apple Awards 2015 at a Gala dinner in London on May 7th.

The shortlisting comes after the success of the centre’s #nightmareonprospectstreet Halloween event, which attracted nearly 30,000 shoppers to the centre during the day, a 16.3 per cent increase on the previous Friday.

The event resulted in an average increase in sales of more than 20 per cent for retailers within the shopping centre on the day, as well as dwell time within the centre increasing by 29 per cent on the day.

The event, which was coordinated by the centre’s award-winning Hull based agency Mercury Design and Marketing, involved a trick or treat hunt around the retailers, a Little Pumpkins Party which attracted 250 children, zombies in the shopping centre’s mall and a paranormal event on Halloween evening.

The activities centred around the history of Prospect Shopping Centre’s site, where the old Hull Royal Infirmary once stood and the city’s medieval gallows.

The scale of the event was unprecedented in Hull and was very well-received.

Prospect Shopping Centre Manager Lee Appleton said: “To be shortlisted for this award is a huge accolade as the Purple Apple Awards are among the most prestigious awards for shopping centres across the UK.

“Our events are always designed with creativity in mind in order to attract a wide range of shoppers to the Centre. Our Halloween event not only appealed to a wide demographic in terms of shoppers coming into the centre on the day, but also resulted in a massive commercial impact on retailers. We are looking forward to finding out the result in May.”

The shortlisting tops off an impressive year for Prospect Shopping Centre, which smashed the eight million footfall barrier in 2014.

Part of this success can be attributed to the introduction of new stores, such as Bolo menswear which stocks high end fashion brands such as Hugo Boss, as well as the wide range of innovative events designed to mark the centre’s 40th birthday.

Mercury Design and Marketing’s director, Kelly Taylor, said: “It has been a real privilege for our team to work with Prospect Shopping Centre over the last year, after we were appointed to manage all of its marketing, PR, social media and events.

“The fact that one of the first events we have worked collaboratively with them on has been shortlisted for such a highly-regarded award really is the icing on the cake. The Purple Apple Awards are the cream of the crop within the retail industry, so this is a huge achievement for us all.”