Lakeside in Focus: A monthly blog from our centre manager

Each month, Lyndsey Parry – centre manager here at Lakeside Village Outlet Shopping – will be sharing her views and reflections on life at the centre.

In her first post, Lyndsey – who moved into her role earlier this year after working at Lakeside Village since 2012 – shares her insights into what makes the centre so special, how it’s evolved, and what her key focuses will be in her new role.

Having worked at Lakeside Village for more than 12 years now, I’ve seen so many changes take place and the wants and needs of shoppers evolve, too.

From the pandemic to the boom in internet shopping and a cost of living crisis – we’ve weathered all kinds of storms (including real weather-related ones!) and I’m proud to be at the helm of the centre today, with a fantastic team around me to step into the next phase of our journey.

Key priorities

As centre manager, my top priority is to keep it the number one shopping outlet in Yorkshire.

We are currently bucking the retail trends across the UK - we are fully let, and our footfall is up on last year , when comparing across the sector averages. Over the next few years, we aim to look at introducing new step-change brands to bring even better discount and value to our customers.

We also will be continuing to provide amazing free entertainment for our customers so that they always enjoy their time at Lakeside Village and want to keep coming back again and again.  

Keeping pace with change

As I’ve said, we’ve witnessed a huge amount of change over the time I’ve worked here at Lakeside Village – particularly in customer shopping patterns.

As the cost-of-living increases and everyone’s money gets tighter and tighter, I believe customers are on the lookout for value more than ever, and I’m proud to say at Lakeside Village we provide both value and quality.

As well as value, customers now expect more from their shopping centres than just shops.

Most people now see their trip to a shopping centre as a day out.

To meet these needs, we will continue to provide onsite entertainment and family fun for the community, such as Santa at Christmas and free events at key times of the year to keep our customers entertained and make sure everyone has a fun day out whilst shopping.

A bright future

Lakeside Village is very close to my heart and I’m excited to see what lies ahead for the centre and our amazing team.

The site provides a clean and safe place for customers to shop, with outstanding, award-winning facility and a wide variety of brands across our stores, who all do their best to provide excellent customer service to each visitor.

When I’m out and about talking to our retailers, you can tell each and every one of them loves the centre and is proud to work at Lakeside Village.

Very few places can say that – proving just how special this centre really is.