Revo reborn: turning the focus on rebuilding retail

The impact of coronavirus on an already under-pressure retail sector is a story well told. But the pandemic did not just hit physical stores, occupiers and landlords. Revo, the industry body for the retail property community, was also hit hard, losing 50% of its income as events dried up and purse strings were tightened. It could have been the end for the organisation. Chief executive Vivienne King had to step down from the position after less than a year in post as the loss of income meant Revo just couldn’t afford to pay for her. But the group’s 1,400 members have banded together and refused to let the organisation disappear. It is now being run on a voluntary basis. King is still giving her time and passion, and the new leadership is determined to make sure Revo remains the voice of the retail community. Neil Hockin, head of shopping centre leasing at Lunson Mitchenall and one of those new leaders, says the organisation is now more focused than it has ever been before on providing education, intelligence, support – and perhaps even the opportunity to socialise – to its members. Knowledge sharing Revo’s new focus will be centred on four main topics – asset management, property management, ESG and repurposing and regeneration. And there will be an onus on the sharing of knowledge among the group’s membership and the wider industry as the group does its bit to enable retail to flourish. Hockin believes the organisation can play a big role in educating around leasing reform, health and safety, security, sustainability and social inclusion. “Our role,” says Michelle Buxton, founder of Toolbox Group and Revo board member, “ is to support our members to drive their businesses forward, and to thrive and prosper. That could be through education, through the sharing of ideas and through our committees.” For King, it is about being an influencer of change. “When you think about where influence comes from in society, it comes from government, the public or from business, and we’re very much the business end of that,” she says, “and from what we’re able to produce, we are hoping that we will influence practices in our industry that will enable innovation to come through, because innovation is fundamental for growth.” The new board says much of that innovation will come from its members working together, but it will also be driven by the next generation of retail property experts – a group of individuals that Revo reborn will be utilising much more. The organisation is supporting a diploma in retail and leisure place management at Solent University in Southampton, Hampshire, with the European Educational Trust offering a 50% discount on a number of places, and provides free membership to those under the age of 30 through the Revo Hub. Long-term insight Hockin says the hub, supported by Gardiner & Theobald and Chapman Taylor, will provide invaluable insight to the wider membership on what the retail environment could look like, not in the next five to ten years, but in the next 15 to 20 years. “We’ve got to make our industry accessible to a broader range of people,” says King. “So, if we are getting our hub group to come forward with fantastic, innovative ideas, whether or not they’re runners, and we can get those published and we can explain them in an accessible way, then we’re going to start getting people to realise that actually real estate is an exciting place to be.” But to be able to do that, Hockin, King and Buxton say they are dependent on the support of their members. That each and every member in the new Revo has to commit to wanting to highlight the benefits of the sector and enable its transformation. “We need all our membership to be involved with trying to make our industry a better industry, to really help the retail turnaround picture and try and promote us as a more inclusive sector,” says Hockin. “I want us to be relevant to the wider retail, leisure, placemaking industry, and I want our membership to be at the fore of that and have the capacity to promote themselves to that sector,” he adds. “I want us to be able to network, to share experiences, to go and visit places, and I want Revo to be able to facilitate that. “We are a very social industry, and that’s an important side to what we do, and providing we can make that inclusive and relevant and we can remain topical, I think Revo should be at the heart of helping the members to meet each other, because that’s where we get some of our best business done.” To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@egi.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette Photo © Amina Filkins/Pexels