Real estate firm British Land has appointed the former boss of Westfield London to take charge of its Plymouth shopping centre Drake Circus, it has been announced.
Greg Lumley has become the new Centre Director for Drake Circus after more than 26 years worth of experience in the retail sector, and as part of his new role he will also fulfil a wider regional centre manager role for British Land.
Lumley spent three years as Centre Manager at Westfield‘s shopping hub in London‘s Shepherd‘s Bush, during which time he oversaw the opening of the mall in 2008.
Claire Barber, Head of Shopping Centre Asset Management for British Land, said: “The retail sector is continually evolving and we are delighted to have someone of Greg‘s calibre leading the team at Drake Circus.
“He will ensure that the centre continues to deliver a first class environment to its 19 million annual visitors, where people want to shop and spend leisure time and where retailers want to trade.”
Drake Circus, which stretches over 425,000 sq ft and attracts around 19 million customers each year, opened in 2006 and was acquired by British Land in January of last year for £240 million.
Its anchor stores are Marks & Spencer, Primark & Next while other tenants include fashion retailers Topshop/Topman, H&M & Republic, but it will be Lumley‘s role to enhance the quality of the centre even further.
Before working for Westfield, Lumley was the centre manager for four outlet centres owned by McArthurGlen, while he has also held various store manager positions for retailers such as Blacks Leisure, Barratts and JD Sports.
Commenting on his appointment, Lumley said: “In the five years that Drake Circus has been open, it has performed exceptionally well and has brought a level of retail to the region which before just did not exist.
“Our job now is to build on that success and continue to broaden the retail mix by introducing yet more exciting retail, leisure and catering names to the centre.
“We will be developing new opportunities at Drake Circus which will be good news for Plymouth and the region, and through British Land‘s community charter commitments, we will continue to support local initiatives and develop long-term local relationships.”
