Creative endeavours in retail and leisure

As the articles featured in the Retail, Leisure & Hotels supplement demonstrate, both operators and the property firms that facilitate and support their endeavours are keenly attuned to developing trends, forever spotting emerging opportunities and embracing the zeitgeist.

In terms of agents and landlords, that is clear from the way they are increasingly curating space rather than simply filling it. The creative thought that the best of both groups are putting into destinations these days is akin to the way a festival director pulls together a programme, providing both contrast and cohesion to provide the best consumer experience.

Operators too are proving remarkably innovative, as shown by BrewDog’s plans to establish a craft-beer-themed hotel, conference centre and distillery. Just a few years ago, such an idea might have been seen as barking, but with the current fashion for craft beer it now sounds like a smart business move.

In a similar vein, veteran leisure operator and former tennis ace David Lloyd is launching a chain of destinations that will offer a huge range of activities, including bouncy castles, zip-wiring and crazy golf, all under one roof. The idea is that individual crazes come and go, but there will never be a time when all fall out of fashion. Again, simple but smart.

Add to that plans from a French engineer to develop the world’s first public terrestrial zero-gravity experience and it is clear that imagination knows no bounds. It is a truly exciting time to be a part of the retail and leisure sector - a time when creativity and entrepreneurialism seem capable of overcoming any obstacle.

Mia Hunt is Property Week’s market reports editor