Landsec has been looking to Asian shopping centres to improve shoppers’ experiences of its own retail destinations in the UK.
It is one of the strategies the propco is undertaking to bring “experience” into the heart of its business, the notion that underpins its new brand revealed in June.
At the time, chief executive Rob Noel said: “At Landsec, experience is at the heart of what we do, it’s not just about bricks and mortar. In a world where people have many choices about where they shop, dine, work, live or spend time, it’s experience that matters.”
As well as increased focus on the experience of Landsec shoppers and customers, the company has transformed its approach to recruitment and talent development.
The moving of its headquarters earlier this year to the Nova building in Victoria, SW1, at the heart of its £2.2bn regeneration of the area, has paved the way for more dynamic work practices for its 650 staff across the UK.
Speaking on EG’s Tomorrow’s Leaders podcast, HR director Sally Cullen said that each member of staff was given a Microsoft Surface Pro laptop in the biggest ever roll-out of the machine in the UK, which has enabled more flexible working practices. Plus, touchscreen whiteboards in its HQ means meeting notes can be shared in real time.
Since January, the company’s use of printing paper has reduced by 90%. Collaborative working space, including meeting hubs and juice bars has led to internal e-mail traffic reducing by 30%.
However, these are moves designed to lure and retain more than just new generation of talent, Cullen said.
“We want people at all life stages bringing their experiences to Landsec, but with that we have to provide the flexibility to meet their different needs.”
Siloed working has made way for a more collaborative style and staff are given the flexibility to work across different departments, and “mould their own careers”.
“This collaborative way of working will ultimately help us build better places. This has always been Rob Noel’s mission,” Cullen said.
In order to attract a greater blend of talent, the company has removed the need to have a degree from its job advertisements.
“We don’t always know what all the opportunities look like in advance, and nor do we look for people who will only be good at the role they are being interviewed for. This is a fresh approach we are taking to the future, where passion, personality and interesting people are just as important as the more academically-inclined, and everyone has an opportunity to broaden their knowledge across the business.”
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