Trend Alert

Toolbox Marketing News

Toolbox Marketing’s Toolkit platform is now live! This unique award winning system gives shopping centres, retail parks and retailers access to a tool which they can use to localize corporate marketing material, while reducing print costs.

For more information contact Colin Buxton

Now that our clients ‘Valentine’s Day competitions are complete and have been a huge success, the studio is busy creating artwork for the up and coming Mother’s Day campaigns.
Our accounts team after their travels last week, have been working hard on campaign strategies for our new clients with some very exciting promotions to run this year.

Did you know…

Facebook is the most dominant Social network, attracting 734.2 million unique visitors a month.
(Source: HubSpot)

Digital

Apple iPhones and iPads of the future could feature virtual 3D interfaces that are able to detect and respond to the movement of your eyes, following the US firm’s latest patent filing. (Source: Digital Spy)

Facebook mobile adverts ‘expected in March 2012′. Users accessing the site via a mobile phone will soon be greeted by adverts. (Source: Telegraph)

Zeebox, the social TV app, has rolled out a new feature that allows viewers to buy products they see advertised on TV, with just a few clicks. (Source: Tech Radar)

Facts & Figures

FootFall Retail Index – UK National Weekly:
Change for week 06 (6th February 2012 – 12th February 2012): +4.3%
Change for week 06 year-on-year: -7.3%

FootFall Retail Index – Retail Park Weekly:
Change for week 06 (6th February 2012 – 12th February 2012): +3.1%
Change for week 06 year-on-year: +2.6%

Weekly footfall levels for the UK National Index showed a positive week-on-week growth of 4.3%, however, compared to the same week last year, the index resulted in a significant drop of 7.3%. The drop largely attributed to the severe weather conditions when the UK was hit by fresh snowfalls and the coldest night of the winter was reported as temperatures plummeted to -18 degrees Celsius on Friday night. (Source: Experian)

Retail News

River Island’s move to up its UK production has helped it put new products in-store quicker and contributed to their bestsellers, resulting to an increase of sales since UK Production began. (Source: Retail Week)

Aurum, the jewellery group which owns Watches of Switzerland, Goldsmiths and Mappin & Webb, saw like-for-like saes rise by 10.2% to £300.6 million in the year to 29 January 2012. (Source: Retail Bulletin)

Discount grocery group UGO has been bought by value retail chain Poundstretcher in a pre-pack deal, saving more than 200 jobs at its 20 UK stores. UGO entered administration, February 8th 2012, but was immediately sold. (Source: Retail Gazette)

Leisure & Tourism News

VisitScotland has announced the launch of its new Drive It Home marketing campaign in a bid to promote golf tourism, which is worth GBP220m to the country’s economy. (Source: Leisure Management)

Chris Tallent has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Great Southern Rail (GSR) www.greatsouthernrail.com.au, joining the company with over 25 years experience across a wide variety of senior operational, development, finance and company executive roles in the hotel, resort and tourism sectors. (Source: Travel Daily News)

Mall & Property News

French REIT Mercialys, which owns and manages supermarkets and malls of the Casino group, reported a 10% jump in 2011 FFO and announced a dramatic new strategy that proposes exceptional distributions of €1.25bn, plus a cut in Casino’s 51.1% majority stake. (Source: Property Investor Europe)

A detailed planning application to expand and redevelop the Centrale shopping centre in Croydon has been submitted for consideration, it was revealed this week. Property company Hammerson bought the south London retail destination in March 2011. (Source: Retail Bulletin)

At a time when many secondary & tertiary retail centres are struggling to attract and keep businesses, British Land has shown the strength of prime centres by posting strong third quarter results this week
with a retail occupancy rise to 98.4%. (Source: Retail Gazette)

Around Europe & the World

Germany and Western Europe will remain the most popular property investment destinations for domestic investors in first half 2012, says Schroder Property, the real estate arm of the London-based investment manager. It expects enormous competition for attractive assets this year. (Source: Property Investor Europe)

Amazon is set to open its first physical shop in Seattle, selling its own electronic goods and books.
(Source: Telegraph)

Mamas & Papas is to open new stores in Russia and South Africa as it steps up its global expansion. (Source: Retail Week)

Trends

Hewlett-Packard (HP) is launching a branded web series as part of a partnership with French DJ, David Guetta, as it continues to court younger consumers by focusing its marketing activity around music. (Source: Marketing Week)

Diet Coke is set to roll out the latest phase of its “Love It Light” fashion-focused activity, featuring another high profile TV campaign and its first tie up with Benefit cosmetics. (Source: Retail Week)

Int’resting Snippets

A pair of Penguins were married in a bizarre ceremony ahead of Valentine’s Day at Shanghai Ocean Aquarium. (Source: Metro)

A Volkswagen Beetle owned by the Carter County Sheriff’s Department in the states became an improvised pursuit vehicle — at about 20 mph. The Beetle won…. (Source:  Odd News)

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MALLCOMM
While communicating with retailers is a global problem, Mallcomm is now available in multiple languages as we start to promote across Europe. For more information contact michelle.daniels@toolboxmarketing.co.uk or visit our site at www.mallcomm.co.uk.

iGlobe360

Since its launch in Feb 2011, iGlobe 360 has just completed it’s one hundredth project. Everyone, whether engaged in either Property Management leasing or the Leisure Industry are realising the benefits of being able to present the visual credentials.

Besides being used to present office and retail space for rent our portfolio now includes the promotion of Hotels, Nightclubs, Gymnasiums, Restaurants and even the interior and exterior of motor vehicles.

Customers have welcomed the opportunity to view premises from the comfort of their office or home without incurring the expense of travelling to locations only to be disappointed as soon as they walk through the door.

By utilising iGlobe 360, businesses are able to present an accurate view of the property and space available and a clear indication of the quality of the buildings fabrication and furniture units incorporated.

This is not only leading to quicker decision making, but also delivering key benefits to all parties involved.

For more information, please contact Colin Buxton.

i-Engage
It’s time to reshape the way we think about marketing. Stop pushing. Start attracting. Stop interrupting. Start engaging. Toolbox Marketing’s i-Engage platform gives you all the tools you need to manage, listen and communicate with your customers through Social Media channels.

Cupcake
The Cupcake Consultancy is structured to represent the interests of retailers who operate in a shopping centre enviroment, driving sales by maximising exposure to the retailer’s brand throughout the customer journey.

Toolbox Commercialisation
With over 5 years experience of working with national brands and local communities across Europe, Toolbox Commercialisation maximises income and drives asset value. Our innovative approach results in retail destinations benefitting from unique footfall driving experiences, significantly enhancing the marketing budget.

Toolkit
The online solution to professional marketing for shopping centres with restricted budgets. Toolkit allows on-site teams to remain in control of their marketing activity, keeping costs down yet ensures strategic, integrated and proficient delivery.

Quote of the Week
“Action is the foundational key to all success” – Pablo Picasso