A Day in the Life of a Shopping Centre Manager - David Pearman

Dave Pearman is currently the Centre Manager of Corn Exchange, currently managed by Cushman & Wakefield, with almost 5-years experience within the sector.

Morning Routine:

The common phrase that you will hear in our industry is “no one day is the same” which is one of the things I most enjoy about my job. That said starting the day with clear intentions and structure is key, A typical morning can consist of meeting with tenants, talking to customers, walking around the property to check everything from tenant offers, creating tasks, observing cleaning standards, liaising with contractors are all looked after. I try and keep my first and last hour of the day to strictly no meetings so we can start and close the day off, sometimes priorities come in though so you do have to be agile yet organised.

Workday Highlights:

Being located in the heart of Manchester City centre we are never quiet with something always going on, for me and this might sound a bit mundane but doing the basics perfectly is one of my highlights, I want customers and our tenants to have the best in class experience every time they visit the Corn Exchange Manchester and the trick is getting it right time after time! Keeping the team engaged and focused on all the small but important details is so important! Seeing a site team deliver all the moving parts is a bit like being a conductor of a orchestra and when it all comes together we really do create a truly enjoyable experience for those that visit.

Lunchtime Escape:

I wouldn’t say I do the same thing every day however over the years I’d like to think I’ve got more in tune with when I need to take time out and take a break. As I either drive or get the train into Manchester I do like to listen to podcasts which are usually football related so that I am always up to speed with the latest developments of my beloved Liverpool Fc, working in Manchester we have some good banter without being too unkind to my northern neighbours.

Post-Work Delight:

Sorry to be cheesy but genuinely the highlight of my day is walking back through my front door and seeing my family. My wife and I have always believed it’s important to set a good example to our children that if you are committed and work hard you can have a good life but more importantly making time for each other is whats important, We do like a good series!?

Closing Thoughts:

Being the leader of the site team and being able to compute what is probably hundreds of decisions that we make and action each daily is so rewarding, I love placemaking and driving a destination to that next place in its history. I’m also very lucky to work with some amazing people at Cushman and Wakefield as well as having worked with industry leaders in other organisations, for me it’s about taking a little bit from each of those colleagues to help develop and always expand on my knowledge and perspective. The world is changing faster than ever and we have so many opportunities to propel our industry to appeal to people from all backgrounds and areas of expertise with the likes of ESG, enlivenment, new and expanding brands. Highstreets up and down the country are needing to evolve so there’s so much going on in the industry.

If you're looking for new opportunities with Placemaking, or if you're looking to boost your network within the sector, please reach out and I'd be happy to have a discussion!