01704544999
01704544999
1. Diverse Audience: Shopping centres and retail parks attract a broad and diverse audience, enabling dealerships to showcase their products to people from various demographics. This diversity increases the chances of reaching a wide range of potential customers.
2. High Footfall: Shopping centres and retail parks typically experience high foot traffic, ensuring the vehicles receive significant exposure. The constant flow of people creates more opportunities for engagement and increases the likelihood of potential customers noticing and exploring the showcased vehicles.
3. Extended Exposure Time: Visitors to shopping centres and retail parks often spend extended periods browsing and making purchases. This extended exposure time allows car dealerships to capture consumers’ attention, giving them ample opportunity to showcase the features and benefits of their vehicles.
4. Impulse Purchases: Shopping centres and retail parks encourage impulse purchases. Placing cars strategically can tap into this behaviour, enticing potential customers to consider a new vehicle purchase or arrange a trip to your showroom in their plans.
5. Targeted Marketing: Many shopping centres and retail parks cater to specific demographics or interests. Car dealerships can strategically choose locations that align with their target market, allowing for more focused and effective product placement. For example, a dealership showcasing a family vehicle might choose a shopping centre with family-based entertainment like soft play or a cinema.
6. Brand Association: A positive and enjoyable shopping experience can enhance the overall perception of a car brand. Placing vehicles in a vibrant and dynamic setting like a shopping centre or retail park creates a positive association, reinforcing the idea that owning the showcased cars can enhance the consumer’s lifestyle.
7. Increased Brand Recall: Repeated exposure to a dealership’s products in a shopping environment contributes to increased brand recall. When consumers think about purchasing a car, they are more likely to remember and consider a brand they encountered in the shopping centre or retail park.
What should I do next?
If, like many other car dealerships, you wish to enhance your business visibility with product placement at a high-end location. Access Point has a selection of fantastic venues available to book nationwide.
For more information, call 01704 544999, email hello@apuk.net or visit our product placement page.
National Apprenticeship Week is the perfect time to highlight the incredible journeys of individuals who have embarked on the path of apprenticeships, showcasing their dedication and achievements.
At Access Point, we are proud to share the inspiring story of one of our young employees who started life at Access Point from a customer service background with an interest in becoming a Sales Account Manager. Dan started as a Sales Support Administrator to learn all about our business. His passion for learning, commitment to customer service, and natural enthusiasm caught our attention, and, recognising his potential, we encouraged Dan to transfer to our sales team after 12 months. He then successfully worked towards and gained his Level 4 Sales Executive Apprenticeship and Diploma in Executive Selling from the Institute of Sales Professionals.
The apprenticeship programme at Access Point is designed to provide employees with a structured learning experience, combining on-the-job training with formal education. Dan embraced this opportunity, balancing his responsibilities at the front desk with a customised apprenticeship curriculum.
Dan’s hard work paid off as he completed the programme, earning a well-deserved apprenticeship certification and diploma. This accomplishment showcases both his personal growth and the effectiveness of our apprenticeship programme in nurturing talent within the company.
As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, Dan’s success underlines the value of investing in employee development. Access Point is proud to foster a culture of continuous learning and growth. Dan’s journey is an inspiration for all employees, emphasising that dedication and learning opportunities lead to remarkable achievements.
Let’s recognise and celebrate individuals like Dan during National Apprenticeship Week, acknowledging their contributions to personal and organisational success.
Are you interested in exploring job opportunities at Access Point? If so, please send us an email. We are always looking for talented and enthusiastic individuals to join our team. For more information about our company and potential job openings, please visit www.apuk.net.
The bottom line is that Utility Warehouse requires a platform to showcase its offerings. Access Point provides ideal venues to connect with the masses and achieve their objectives. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, ensuring success for both parties.
A huge thank you goes to UW for their hospitality. We had so much fun interacting with everyone, and the interest it generated was unbelievable. Our ‘Win a Promotion’ competition proved so popular we ran out of entry slips and had to get more printed. With that in mind, congratulations to our two daily Champagne winners and an even bigger congratulations to Scott Mccaw for winning our big prize draw, a week’s promotion at a venue of his choosing.
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Whether listening to a recorded message telling you, “Your call is important to us”, whilst being left on hold for 40 minutes or trying to communicate with a bot, it is easy to become jaded. Over the years, we have consciously selected the path of our customer-facing team still providing that personal service, always being accessible to chat with you - while investing in our back office systems to ensure we can provide the best service possible. Technological advancement seems to have accelerated by ten years as a direct result of the covid 19 pandemic, there is no doubting the benefits, but it needs to be implemented considerably so it adds genuine value. We are continually looking for new ways to use technology to better our business processes and customer experience; while ensuring that it assists rather than replaces contact with our customers. With this in mind, we are excited to launch our new booking process. This will allow customers to request venues online via their private portal and will be received by our team to check availability. Once approved, the entire booking can be processed online, including payment. The booking information is then saved in the portal, allowing you to access it freely. In addition to existing bookings, your entire history of previous bookings with Access Point, including bookings prior to your Portal registration, is stored here for easy reference or referral. Queries can also be sent via your portal for the team to call or email you back. If a venue requested isn’t available, the team will be in touch to discuss alternatives. We understand that our customers may not be sitting in front of a computer all day. Today’s portable technology is specifically designed for our 'on-the-go' lifestyles. The new portal gives you all the freedom to book online; at a time that is most convenient to you. The booking portal may not be for everyone. You can still contact the Access Point team directly. We will always be there to answer any of your queries or book a venue over the phone. Our customer service will not be compromised, and we have not reduced the workforce to accommodate the portal. Your call is important to us and always will be. For more information on how to get started with the Access Point Booking Portal, contact us at 01704 544999, email hello@apuk.net or register your Interest by filling out our enquiry form and one of our Account Managers will be in touch. |  |
Access Point Earns “Fair Employment Charter Status” At Aspiring Level
Access Point is delighted to announce that we have been recognised by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for its commitment to creating a fair and equitable working environment for its employees at ‘Aspiring Employer Level’ Status.
Metro Mayor Steve Rotherham’s inaugural Fair Employment Charter was issued on Tuesday 22nd November, with Access Point among the first 50 employers to be awarded ‘Aspiring Employer Level’ status.
The charter celebrates local businesses and organisations that are recognising the importance of good employee relationships and their responsibility to create a safe, fair and mutually beneficial environment for everyone within the company.
Since forming in 1997, Access Point has always considered itself a family-run company rather than a corporate business and has strived to create a fun, dynamic atmosphere inside the office and out.
Our ethos has always been to encourage an employee to further their own skill set and personal career development with initiatives and incentives, with the aspiration that as an employee grows so does the company.
David Robertshaw, CEO of Access Point said:
“Every company needs to constantly improve otherwise we stagnate and get left behind. We recognise that our ‘uniqueness’ comes from the people we employ; the front line, speaking to our clients and support behind the scenes making sure it all runs smoothly. We have survived at times but mostly flourished, which is all down to the people we employ.
We spend a lot of time looking at how we as a company can go the extra mile for our team, always looking to improve and making it a great place to work. Recognition for this is a reward to all of the team, so we are over the moon to be one of the first on the ‘Fair Employment Charter’. This award continues to push us forward, to keep investing, to keep paying a decent salary and to keep the workplace safe and a great place to come into every day.”
Steve Rotherham, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “When thousands of hard-working families across our region are struggling to make ends meet, there’s never been a more important time for businesses to step up and commit to investing in their workforce.
The charter is about highlighting and promoting good employers who do the right things – and we know that there are plenty of them in our region.”
He added: “I want our area to be known as the best place in the country to live, work, or run a business – and the more businesses we can encourage to join us on this journey, the faster we can make that ambition a reality.”
Find out more about Access Point.
For further media information, please contact Richard Hayden at 01704 544999 or richard@apuk.net.
Access Point Wins Emery Gate Brief
ACCESS POINT WINS EMERY GATE SHOPPING CENTRE, CHIPPENHAM, BRIEF
Access Point has been appointed as the commercialisation partner for Emery Gate Shopping Centre, Chippenham.
Situated in the centre of the town, Tesco, Sports Direct, and Peacocks are just a few of the fantastic stores that can be found in Emery Gate.
Access Point has been entrusted with maximising the retail centre’s earning potential as part of the commercialisation brief. We will bring in the ideal combination of brands and promotional partners to appeal to consumers in the catchment region.
David Robertshaw, CEO at Access Point, said: “The main entrance of Emery Gate connects immediately to the high street, providing tremendous opportunity for local and national companies to engage the buying public in the centre of Chippenham town centre. This will be a great partnership, and we are excited about building a relationship with the centre and delivering the commercialisation plan.”
“Enhancing the visitor experience is a crucial component of our mandate. We are prepared to get things going right away. We plan to bring partners onboard who will strengthen the diverse mix of independent and high street businesses already present at the centre.”
In addition, the specialist commercialisation firm works with several retail and leisure destinations across the country, including Sailmakers Ipswich, Putney Exchange, Dalton Park Outlet Shopping and Princes Quay Shopping Centre in Hull.
Find out more about Access Point at www.apuk.net or visit the Emery Gate Media Sheet
For further media information or images, contact Richard Hayden at 01704 544999 or richard@apuk.net.
March of the Pods
March of the Pods
Three words to ensure great engagement – location, location, location – this especially rings true for any business dependent on a customer facing activity. Typically, to facilitate this (pre-pandemic), a business would have prioritised being on the High Street. However, the problem now is that High Street footfall isn’t what it used to be (not recovered since Covid as more people work from home), and rent and rates are high, especially for the prominent locations.
There is another option: a space for your business, located close to high footfall, sensible rents and a considerate landlord.
Pods!
Pods offer a great alternative
The structure of a Pod can be highly versatile and highly branded, can be constructed for a specific purpose and built to your specification (Denmans, an Electrical Supplier, have a Pod that resembles an electricians toolbox). Pods can be situated on long or short term options and if an area becomes saturated by your message/offer it can be picked up and moved to the next target area. They don’t even need to be on the grid as they can be powered by solar panels, etc.
Pods can be cheaper than bricks and mortar with less overheads and on-going costs and can be situated where your market intelligence tells you the target audience is expected to be.
Businesses of various sizes have made great use of Pods from large organisations such as Timpsons to local barbers and beauticians.
Pods have appeared in railway stations over recent years but another great example is using Pods at supermarkets. Still experiencing high footfall, supermarkets with car parks can provide a great base for a Pod housing a complementary retailer, a service or utility organisation, a local government agent or a repair depot.
For any business that is looking for great value from their customer facing strategy, dipping their toe in the water with a Pod, could be the right option.
If you are considering using a Pod for customer engagement have a conversation with Access Point as we have 100’s of prime sites available.
Contact Access Point on 01704 544999
Access Point Wins Sailmakers Ipswich Brief
ACCESS POINT WINS SAILMAKERS IPSWICH BRIEF
Access Point has been appointed as the commercialisation partner for Sailmakers Shopping Centre, which is located in Ipswich town centre.
Sailmakers Ipswich offers a wide range of great shops as well as places to eat, drink and relax, including Boots, River Island, Pandora and Bakers + Baristas, right in the heart of the town.
As part of the commercialisation brief, Access Point has been tasked by ALB Group with maximising income potential for the shopping centre, whilst also introducing the right mix of brands and promotional partners to appeal to shoppers in the catchment area.
David Robertshaw, CEO at Access Point, said: “Sailmakers Shopping Centre is in a fantastic position with the main entrance linking directly to the prime pedestrianised area of Tavern Street – affording fantastic opportunities for local and national brands to engage the buying public in the heart of Ipswich town centre. This will be a great partnership and we are excited about building a relationship with the centre and delivering the commercialisation plan for Sailmakers.”
“Enhancing the visitor experience is an important part of our brief and we are ready to hit the ground running by bringing on board partners that will complement the strong mix of independent and high street brands already at the centre.”
Kerrie Ronayne, Property Manager, ALB Group, owners of Sailmakers Shopping Centre said: “We are excited about working with Access Point to deliver the next phase of Sailmakers commercialisation programme by delivering the brand partnerships and activities for the centre that will further the shopping experience for our visitors.”
In addition, the specialist commercialisation firm works with a number of retail and leisure destinations across the country including Putney Exchange, Dalton Park Outlet Shopping and Princes Quay Shopping Centre in Hull.
Find out more about Access Point at www.apuk.net.
For further media information or images, please contact John Mcknight on 01704 544999 or john@apuk.net.
We are . . . 25 years
Who can remember what happened 25 years ago in 1997 –
The world lost Diana, Princess of Wales, Titanic was the big film release of the year, the first Harry Potter book was published, the Labour Party swept to power, the UK won the Eurovision Song Contest with Katrina and the Waves ‘Walking on Sunshine’ and the Tellytubbies appeared on tv screens for the first time.
And a company called Access Point was founded.
Access Point celebrated its 25th anniversary on the 31st January 2022.
During the 25 years that followed we have been successfully helping Retailers, Landlords, Field Marketing agencies and Promoters and Traders of all shapes and sizes.
The business started off in 1997 in Hindley Business Centre, Wigan and relocated to offices in Lord Street, Southport in 2000, on the 1st floor above what is now the restaurant Bistrot Pierre. In 2015, we bought and completed our move to the beautiful Old Courthouse, which is where we are now headquarted.
Access Point has always offered support to the Retail/Hospitality and Leisure industries and for a number of years, provided Till Roll advertising services. However, delivering Commercialisation opportunities has always been the organisation’s passion and is now our sole focus.
Over the 25 years, we are proud to have been associated with so many promoters and traders, from those dipping their toes into the water for the first time as they start their own business journeys, to the multi-site experiential campaigns that have successfully launched major brands and products. Many customers have been with us throughout our amazing journey and we are truly grateful for the support they have shown us.
None of what we have achieved would have been possible without the amazing employees that have worked at Access Point over the years, and I would hate to start naming individuals as they have all played their part in getting us to where we are now.
However, the last couple of years, as with most businesses, have been a real test of the Organisation’s fortitude and I am proud to say that we did everything we could to support our customer base during the lock downs to ensure that they, and we, were still trading as restrictions are lifted.
And we are, and our journey continues. We are investing heavily into the company and expect to make some announcements in the near future as to how we are going to take our customer service to the next level.
We are proud to be a successful Southport based organisation – so it’s only natural as a Company that we support local initiatives to give back to the community where we reside. We also aim to recruit from the local community and are currently looking for Sales Account Managers to join us on the next stage of our journey based at our beautiful Old Courthouse in Southport.
The ‘changing’ purpose of shopping centres?We are living in unprecedented times. Experts are trying to predict what a post pandemic future could look like for the retail environment but then a new strain comes along and the predictions start again.
Pre-pandemic there was much talk about the changing face of the High Street, Shopping Centres and Retail Parks. Creating a mix of retail, accommodation, office space and leisure as opposed to what was previously distinct areas for each activity. Could we be going back to the future by creating communities around shopping centres, with similarities to the new towns of the 1950’s and 1960’s, with travel hubs to create a greener environment by reducing journey requirements.
What the planners and authorities do need to consider is that footfall always has been a priority for retailers, be it High Street or Shopping Park, and creating the right environment to attract that footfall has always helped to justify the rent.
However, post pandemic, there are other considerations and a sense of community is becoming an important factor in how Shopping Parks, in particular, are engaging with the public.
Landlords had started the journey of filling vacant space with; hospitality & leisure from restaurants to trampoline parks and escape rooms, and converting areas to living accommodation, office space and hotels. This started the process of converting the Shopping Park from retail engagements to a destination for the whole family. And, converting unused areas, has brought the public physically closer and created the feel of ‘the local’ – the local shop, the local pub, locking the community in.
But what can also help the sense of community is including healthcare, GP surgeries, drop-in and walk-in centres. This is nothing new and specialist healthcare/private healthcare suppliers have been based in Shopping Centres/Parks for years. However, Local Authorities could now start to take advantage of engaging the public away from the town or city centre with their own help desk and drop-in centres at Shopping Centres/Parks. During the pandemic we have seen the NHS set-up mobile test and/or vaccination centres at venues frequented by the public. A great plan that has been employed by promoters for years – engage the public where they are as opposed to expecting them to make a journey or take time out of their day. By making this type of activity permanent rather than temporary would the Authorities create a greater/easier engagement with the public? Other activities such as play groups and nurseries could also take advantage of the space and community being built and in many cases would support parents with parking spaces and being away from busy roads making it hard to pick up.
Who knows, your local MP may also see value in basing surgeries where the public are!
Including, or building in, an element of flexibility would also support the goals of the venue, ensuring something new would always be coming along through the use of pop-up shops, kiosks in the malls or inclusion of promoters and traders. This element could also support the sense of community – flu jabs in October/November, pop-up laundrette or barber, lockers for parcel delivery or sharing Council Plans.
As previously mentioned, a travel hub could also be based at the venue, and the Shopping Centre/Park could then become the epicentre of a thriving ‘local’ greener community that attracts further investment and engagements.
