Centre MK wins customer experience award

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Nov 28, 2019

A new strategy focused on training employees to deliver a memorable guest experience has earned Centre MK a major international customer experience award.

The shopping centre beat a shortlist of highly regarded international businesses at the International Customer Experience Awards, held in Amsterdam on November 21.

Centre MK, which houses leading national brands including Jigsaw, Cath Kidston and Hawes & Curtis, said the win was a reflection of a culture shift programme implemented over the last three years to deliver a better customer experience.

The £50 million investment included the refurbishment of Sunset Walk, development of state-of-the-art customer facilities on Deer Walk and creation of a customer service lounge.

Central was a drive to enhance the experience for visitors, placing particular emphasis on the centre’s employees to build loyalty and repeat visits that would lead to increased retailer performance.

An annual employee engagement survey tracked progress, finding improvements in 14 out of 15 categories by up to as much as 17%.

Additionally, mystery shop surveys were conducted to independently evaluate the guest experience. The results highlighted a significant improvement, with centre’s customer experience rating rising from 64% in 2017 to 95% in 2019.

“The award recognises how vital it is to value, empower and engage with the people you work with. By doing so, we have created a better experience for our guests, which is reflected in the Centre:mk out-performing so many of the industry’s key performance indicators,” said Kevin Duffy, centre director.

The shopping centre is expecting to welcome more than seven million visitors over the Christmas trading period.