Future Proof: Bringing fun into shopping malls

Clearhill Retail Entertainment designs and supplies retail entertainment equipment including photo booths, rides, prize games and candy carts. With over 30 years of experience, the Northern Ireland-based mall commercialisation firm is the market leader in its field in Ireland and supplies more than 250 shopping centres across Britain and Ireland.

Clearhill works closely with shopping centres to provide innovative retail entertainment units. The mall commercialisation sector has become increasingly important in recent years as shopping centres have sought to maximise revenues and provide customers with additional services. Clearhill director Brian McAreavey estimates that its products can help generate revenues of up to £200 per sq ft.

With clients such as Tesco, Dunnes Stores, the Ilac Centre and Birmingham's Bullring, Clearhill has seen an increase in the need for its products as online shopping drags people from shopping centres and high streets.

“My father set up the business nearly 30 years ago and I joined it when I left school at 17. My brother John came to work for us two years ago as financial controller so it’s very much a family affair,” says McAreavey.

Retail space
"Retail has been hit very hard since the recession began, and a lot of retailers would be struggling with high rents and empty units. There is a renewed focus on the mall now and how best to maximise income from retail space."

In March Clearhill won a three-year contract with Castlecourt, one of Belfast's largest shopping centres. With more than 80 stores and 15 food outlets to choose from, Castlecourt has the highest rate of footfall for any shopping centre in the North.

The new contract means Clearhill now supplies 261 centres across Britain and Ireland, including over 90 per cent of Ireland’s shopping centres.

The business continues to go from strength to strength with a recent contract with the Westfield retail group in the UK.

“That was a massive win for us as it’s such a prestige account. Westfield has four major shopping centres in the UK and we will be installing our products there. We would look to Westfield as pioneers in the mall commercialisation field. They were among the first to see how much income they could generate from the mall as possible,” says McAreavey.

He says larger lets and vacant units has worked to the company’s advantage as landlords must maximise retail space. “Back in the boom years mall income wouldn’t have been focused on as much but now the spotlight is on how to get the best return from every part of the shopping centre or mall.”

He explains that Clearhill acts as a one-stop shop for clients from the initial consultation, on-site maintenance and follow-up financial analytics.

Demographic
"We go into shopping centre, do a survey, find out as much as we can about it, find out the demographic, the footfall of the different areas within the mall and see how we can best meet the needs of our customers," says McAreavey. They also install, service and restock the machines.

“We have had accelerated growth over the past two years where we have broken into some major chains. They have been impressed by how we operate our business and the service we provide.”

McAreavy says their customisation service and bespoke products are the keys to their success.

“We can customise the colour and design of the products to suit the décor and no detail is spared to ensure the product is a right fit for the client.

“It’s because we can customise the equipment to such a detail that we have grown so much,” says McAreavey.

McAreavey says their latest innovation is a Candy Cart machine, a self-service sweet and toy vending machine made by Clearhill.

Some 250 Candy Cart machines are in stores throughout the UK and Ireland and have proven popular with clients and customers.

“We have an in-house merchandising team which stays up to date with the latest trends to get the best prizes possible for the machines and provide the best possible return for clients,” says McAreavey.

Clearhill employ just under 50 people and, after 30 years, McAreavey says there’s scope for more jobs as they continue to expand in the UK.