A positioning strategy gives the client a shared direction for decisions about the destination. It identifies the customers the offer should serve, the role it can play in the market and the opportunities for differentiation. The tenant mix, anchor strategy and customer experience then need to support that direction.
Commercially informed retail planning translates the proposition into a retail programme, broad zoning and requirements for individual spaces. For an established estate, this can include considering the role of different streets or areas. These choices connect customer relevance with tenant suitability, leasing potential and operational practicality.
Our involvement can support the following situations, with the scope agreed around the decisions the client needs to make.
Husband Retail provides the service, working alongside the client’s team, architects, planners and specialist consultants. Our professional profiles describe the experience behind the advice. Responsibilities are agreed for each appointment, including any contribution to brand engagement, leasing or implementation support.
The outputs depend on the brief, project stage and agreed scope. Examples include the following; they are not a fixed package. Each supports a decision about the proposition, retail offer or next phase of the destination.
| Example output | Decision it supports |
|---|---|
| Positioning statements | Agree the intended customers, market role and proposition for the destination. |
| Concept proposals | Assess new retail concepts against customer demand and commercial objectives. |
| Mix matrices | Agree category balance, anchor roles, adjacencies and the relationship between zones. |
| Target-brand recommendations | Prioritise suitable brands, including new-to-market opportunities where appropriate. |
| Annotated plans | Review how zoning, circulation and unit configurations support the offer with the design team. |
| Research findings | Test assumptions about customers, tenants, competition and market opportunities. |
| Roadmaps | Agree next-phase priorities, responsibilities and the decisions needed to progress. |
Recommendations can connect positioning with retail mix, layout and zoning by street, where relevant to the property. The client can use them to agree which parts of the offer to retain, which opportunities to develop and where further evidence is needed. New retail concepts and brand opportunities are assessed against that direction.
Within the agreed scope, a marketing plan and monitoring of marketing and tenant-mix execution can help the client review how the proposition is carried through. Where appointed, brand engagement and leasing translate strategy into tenant opportunities. The roadmap identifies the next decisions and responsibilities, with implementation support defined for the individual appointment.
Our project record includes an operating retail portfolio, an urban estate and an individual building. These examples describe historical appointments and the contribution made within each brief.
For Hongkong Land, our work combined retail consultancy, marketing strategy and leasing enhancement across its Central portfolio. The brief connected the retail and food-and-beverage mix with a marketing programme and tenant partnerships. Our appointment included a co-leasing role for new tenants.
For Capco, market research informed a positioning strategy for the estate’s proposed relaunch as a premium international retail destination. Our scope covered layout and zoning by street, retail mix, a marketing plan and monitoring of marketing and tenant-mix execution, including work to attract new-to-UK brands.
For House of Three Ltd, our retail consultancy and marketing strategy supported the brief to reposition and relaunch Three on the Bund as a premium international retail destination. The work connected the building’s retail proposition with its intended market position.
Timing and sequence vary with the brief, available evidence and project stage. The working approach provides a shared basis for decisions rather than a fixed programme.
Establish the brief and priorities. We agree the commercial objectives, decisions required, scope and responsibilities with the client.
Build the evidence base. We review relevant customer, tenant, market and commercial insight alongside the proposition and physical plan to identify the assumptions that need testing.
Develop concepts and recommendations collaboratively where included in the scope. We discuss positioning, new retail concepts, tenant mix and brand opportunities with the client, considering their commercial and practical implications.
Agree direction and next steps. We set out priorities and responsibilities for progressing the recommendations. Where appointed, brand engagement and leasing translate strategy into tenant opportunities.
The proposition, customer demand, retailer requirements and physical plan need to support one another. A proposed concept may suit the target customer but require different unit sizes, access or servicing. This can affect tenant suitability and operational practicality. We review the implications with the client and design team, considering adjustments to the concept, mix or location within the destination.
New retail concept development and new-to-market brand introduction bring choices about differentiation and customer relevance. We consider their role within the balance of retail, dining and entertainment (RDE), then recommend priorities or further testing. Design review provides commercial input on how the plan supports the offer; architectural and engineering responsibility remains with the appointed specialists.
The work can build on existing success, bringing customer, tenant, market and commercial insight together to shape the next phase. New concepts and brands are considered where appropriate to positioning and customer demand.
Brand engagement and leasing are included only where appointed. Our project record includes appointments as exclusive leasing partner, but that role is defined by the mandate. A strategy brief can conclude with recommendations and agreed next steps, with subsequent engagement scoped separately.
Tell us about your destination, its commercial priorities and the decisions ahead. Whether you are defining a new offer or shaping the next phase of an established place, we can discuss the appropriate scope for destination strategy and repositioning.
