Accessible Retail shakes up board following new chair appointment
From left to right: Kate Thompson, Henry Elwess, Catherine Barnard, Marek Kwiatkowski, and Craig Wilson.
Out-of-town retail property body Accessible Retail has welcomed a number of new members to its board, following the appointment of a new chair at the end of last year.
New additions to the Accessible Retail board include: Kate Thompson, head of property at Wickes; Henry Elwess, partner at Park Place Retail; Catherine Barnard, associate director at Savills; and Marek Kwiatkowski, asset manager at British Land.
These changes come at a transformational time for Accessible Retail, which has acted as a networking and educational forum for the out-of-town property community for over 25 years. EYCO partner Craig Wilson was recently appointed as chair, replacing James Hamilton, property director of Cash Access.
Meanwhile, existing board member Russell Homer, senior director at CBRE, has moved up to the position of deputy chair.
The group is also currently undergoing a rebrand and a new website launch, overseen by board member and Green Lane Real Estate founder Dinesh Pari.
Craig Wilson, chair of Accessible Retail and partner at EYCO, said: “Organisations like Accessible Retail undoubtedly had a difficult period during and immediately after COVID. But having endured that period, we are now seeing more enthusiasm and support for the organisation. We’ve seen steady increase in our membership and the support for our events has risen significantly and continues to do so.”
One such event, the group’s most recent Christmas lunch, welcomed 800 guests and led to a £50,000 donation for Accessible Retail’s charity partner Variety, its largest donation for several years.
Wilson continued: “We want to continue to evolve. We want Accessible Retail to keep pace with the changing profile of the industry and these new board appointments is a reflection of our succession planning. It’s important that our members look at the board and believe that it represents the sector and is able to reflect the views of the membership. We’re still open to new ideas and suggestions on how we can do better.
“We are also focusing on the Young Accessible Retail board. Sophie France of Harvey Spack Field has done a tremendous job as chair, but a larger Young Accessible Retail board will create help us engage better with the new entrants to the sector. It’s vital that we build that relationship and let our younger members have a voice.”
Accessible Retail is also aiming to devote energy to the issues surrounding sustainability. Its board representatives host regular sustainability committee meetings which aim to find common ground amongst the membership while sharing ideas and experiences. The group has also worked to create a green lease template which looks to reflect the views of landlord and tenants, and will be available to members shortly.
Wilson concluded: “The economy may not be thriving, but there remains an air of positivity around the out-of-town sector. We’re proud of what Accessible Retail has achieved over the years but we want ensure that plans are in place to grow our contribution to the industry and if possible offer more to our charity partners.”