‘The heart of the city’ | Q&A with Eldon Square

Following the opening of Flight Club, Place North East spoke to Helen Cowie, centre director for Newcastle’s shopping destination, about her vision for the centre and how leisure, data, and partnerships are transforming the city’s flagship destination into a powerhouse of retail, culture, and experience.

Q: What does Flight Club’s leisure offering bring to Eldon Square?
A: I think it adds a really distinctive social-entertainment element to Eldon Square. It enhances dwell time, and I’m confident customers will come back again and again. It’s a brilliant venue and really strengthens Eldon Square’s position as a mixed-use destination in the region. It’s very exciting.

Q: What drove the decision to pursue these types of leisure tenants? Was it a response to challenges in traditional retail?
A: We want a destination with a strong mix of retail and leisure so we attract every demographic. Leisure is definitely an area we want to keep expanding. People come to shop and to eat, but we want them to stay all day. Why go anywhere else, when everything is under one roof?

Q: How does increased dwell time translate into revenue for Eldon Square?
A: We measure this closely. Longer dwell time leads to more cross-shopping, higher average basket sizes and stronger sales across multiple brands. Customer data shows clear uplift in both dwell time and store visits when new leisure operators open. A diverse tenant mix adds value to both retailers and to the asset. I stay close to customers – whether that’s sampling the experience in-centre, asking what brought them in, or assessing new initiatives like going dog-friendly. Word of mouth is incredibly powerful, and we’re hearing a lot of that at the moment.

Q: How does a major anchor like Next impact your strategy for smaller and mid-sized tenants?
A: Large anchor brands like Next drive significant footfall and have huge visibility. A strong blend of national names with local and mid-sized retailers creates real balance and diversity. We run quarterly tenant forums, and the feedback, particularly from tenants on St Andrew’s Way, is extremely positive about the uplift since Next opened. That brand association benefits everyone.

Q: How do partnerships with NGI, NE1, and the council fit into your commercial strategy?
A: The council is a key investment partner – we meet monthly and quarterly, and they’re integral to regeneration decisions. NE1 is a strategic partner across marketing and city-wide initiatives. For example, one objective was increasing weekend footfall, especially on Sundays. We worked with NE1 on the autumn/winter campaign, positioning Eldon Square as a key partner with local transport operators; we’ll measure the results post-peak and may create a spring/summer version.

We’re also patrons of the British Fashion Council. After London Fashion Week, Eldon Square was chosen as one of a handful of cities to host city-wide celebrations. We partnered with Sunderland Software City for ‘Future of Fashion’ shows and activations in the malls. These partnerships are outstanding and hugely supportive.

Q: How do you see the balance between retail, leisure, and experiential offerings evolving over the next three to five years?
A: Our leasing strategy is very dynamic. We’ll continue building a strong mix of shopping, dining, wellbeing, and social experiences. We want every visit to feel engaging, convenient and worth the journey. Online retail is important, but physical stores will always offer an experience you can’t get digitally. We’re well placed to stay at the heart of what customers expect a modern shopping centre to be.

Q: What commercial metrics matter most as you enter the next phase of expansion?
A: Occupancy, sales performance and tenant retention are key. Tenant feedback is also extremely important – I stay close to both tenants and customers. We monitor dwell time, repeat visitation and customer satisfaction. Our mystery shopping scores are consistently at 90%, which is outstanding. Success is a combination of commercial growth and customer experience; the two go hand in hand.

Q: Which categories are currently driving the strongest growth?
A: We monitor around 20 categories each month, and the majority of them have performed strongly this year. Health & Beauty has been particularly strong, supported by our early-year campaign. Fashion is going from strength to strength too – Superdry, Next, New Look, River Island are all performing well.

Food & Beverage is also a standout and our offer has strengthened significantly. Chit ‘n’ Chat, an Indian street-food concept, opened recently and was busy from the moment the doors opened. Overall, it’s been a very strong year across categories.

Q: How has AI and data-driven technology changed how you measure performance?
A: Traditionally, centres relied heavily on footfall counters, and ours are state-of-the-art – we test them quarterly for accuracy. But we’re now implementing smart technologies that offer advanced footfall analytics and heat-mapping. This will let us see exactly where customers cross-shop, analyse peak dwell times, track traffic flow, and measure the impact of marketing.

The AI layer will give much deeper customer insight. It’s still in progress, so we don’t have the new data yet, but it will significantly enhance what we already measure.

Q: What’s your long-term vision for Eldon Square over the next three to five years?
A: We’re delivering a transformative leasing strategy and world-class customer service. We’ve embedded a new customer proposition to ensure every visit feels exceptional. I want Eldon Square to feel like the heart of the city – a place to meet, connect and enjoy meaningful experiences. It already feels that way, but we want to build on it even further. This should be the destination for customers.