Lockdown diaries: Cadogan’s Claire Barber

Claire Barber is asset management director at Cadogan Estates. She outlines a day – as she races to support retailers at the 93-acre Kensington & Chelsea estate as they reopen post-lockdown, covering everything from rent concessions to kerbside collections. The alarm goes off at 6am. It is Thursday, 11 June and I go straight into the garden to work on e-mails. I love this time of day – it’s when I am best able to concentrate on more challenging work problems. I have always been a morning person but during lockdown, my team has been working very long hours, talking to our occupiers about their businesses and assessing how we can best support them. We are now focusing on preparing for long-term recovery and the imminent safe reopening of our retail, leisure and food & beverage occupiers.  At 8am I drive my eldest to school, while my husband ensures our youngest is set up for a day of Zoom lessons. When I return I have breakfast and check my e-mails. I now have confirmation that 85% of our shops intend to reopen on Monday. We have spent a lot of time with our retailers over the past month, providing back-to-business guidance to each of them, from recommending trading hours to the provision of signage and queue markers. We are in a strong position. Chelsea is a residential neighbourhood and we are confident people will want to venture out, valuing what they have locally more than ever. Much of my day is taken up with discussions around the financial support we continue to offer our most vulnerable tenants. Small independent businesses are what makes Chelsea so special and it is important that we safeguard their future to ensure the long term vibrancy of the area. There have been some difficult conversations, but we are succeeding in dealing with the challenge constructively. Mid-morning I speak to the chief executive of one of the largest luxury goods companies who wishes to talk to me about how we can work together to overcome this crisis. A partnership approach is important to us, it is also an opportunity to start lease renewal discussions for some of their brands in advance of upcoming expiries. We are the majority landlord on Sloane Street, where more than 50 of our occupiers make up one of the most exclusive luxury shopping destinations in the world. I take another call with an international luxury fashion brand on the measures they are taking; kerbside collection, one-to-one appointment slots, virtual styling and home delivery. The pandemic has accelerated the structural changes already under way in retail and the importance of personal, exemplary customer service and creating a memorable shopping experience are more important than ever. After lunch, I have my daily team call to check in on our reopening plans, progress on deals (there are some!) and the concessions we are considering on a case-by-case basis for the June quarter. I have a virtual meeting with our place manager, property management team and our five multilingual welcome ambassadors, our eyes and ears on the ground. I hear about the safety measures we have put in place and how they will help make our visitors feel welcome. We also explore how we can maximise external dining space, critical to support our F&B occupiers. Next, I have a brief catch-up with our head of marketing to discuss the plans we are putting in place to help drive footfall and spend back to the area. This is followed by a call to finalise legals with a hotel operator for a new luxury boutique hotel on Sloane Street, which is due to complete early next year. Late afternoon is spent on a video call discussing development. Our chief executive and head of development talk through progress on our development sites and the impact Covid-19 is having on certain projects. We review the pipeline and then consider a challenging architect’s brief for an exciting new development on the estate. Our long-term commitment comes with responsibility to ensure we make a positive contribution towards a sustainable environment while protecting the area’s unique heritage.  I end the day with a chat with our new sustainability manager about Chelsea 2030. We are launching a 10-year sustainability strategy which sets out ambitious targets to improve Chelsea’s environment credentials. The past few months have accelerated the green agenda and we need to do everything we can to leave a legacy for future generations. It is difficult to draw a close on the working day when there are constant new demands and priorities presented by the crisis. We make a conscious effort as a family to go for an evening walk and enjoy the countryside, something we are unable to do regularly outside of lockdown. It is at times like this that you value life’s simple pleasures and being close to nature definitely gives a sense of perspective.