Hammerson said today that it is to introduce a loyalty app to reward visitors to its shopping centres, part of a multichannel strategy that links digital commerce with its stores.
The mobile-enabled app will be introduced in September, with features including product updates, customer services and shopper rewards.
The retail and property investment company said the move was “the next stage of digital engagement with our consumers.” It builds on a multichannel offer that already includes free wifi throughout its UK shopping centres, including Cabot Circus in Bristol, (pictured), as well as mobile-enabled websites. This kind of multichannel approach, it said, was helping to support growth. “By creating destination venues and constantly refreshing the tenant mix to reflect consumer demand, we create winning locations for retailers and consumers,” it said. “Despite the challenging backdrop, we have maintained occupancy above our target, and grown like-for-like income from the portfolio by 2.5%.”
The update came as Hammerson reported its half-year results. In the six months to June 30, said the company, net rental income had risen by 2.5%, on a like-for-like basis, to £140.4m. Pre-tax profits rose to £80.8m. The group occupancy rate stood at 97.4%.
Chief executive David Atkins said: “While household budgets in the UK and France remain under pressure, there are encouraging signs of improvement in macro-economic conditions in the UK. Our winning venues remain in demand from consumers and retailers. This combined with our management actions allows us to maintain high occupancy, secure new tenants on attractive terms and consistently grow rental income. We therefore have confidence in our continued ability to secure strong growth in earnings and dividends over the medium term.”
