The Shopping Centre industry is driven by people. It’s the skills and expertise of the people that manage, develop and evolve shopping centres for their communities that creates this great industry. Shopping Centre News profiles a range of interesting people from the industry each week. This week we speak to Lendlease’s Michael Manwaring, Centre Manager of Sunshine Plaza.
What is your current role and main responsibilities?
I am the Centre Manager at Sunshine Plaza, where we are about to open the latest redevelopment – a $440m expansion to the Centre. With a build program of 32 months, our focus has been on managing customer expectations and protecting centre sales.
My main responsibility is to manage the asset to ensure the best possible outcomes for a range of stakeholders, each with a very different focus, such as owners, investors, retailers, customers and our community. This generally means no two days are ever the same, and I am always facing different and new challenges.
Sunshine Plaza Cornmeal Promenade – just completed a $440 million redevelopment
How did you get in to this industry?
I started straight out of school and not long after, secured a placement in the Kern Corporation Trainee Centre Managers program. I was fortunate enough to work on back to back redevelopments at The Wintergarden and Ipswich City Square, not realising at the time what a step-up redevelopments provided.
Tell us a little bit about your career
I had extended periods working at Kern Corporation, AMP and Stockland, then moved onto Colonial Property Management as manager of The Myer Centre Brisbane and then Queens Plaza, before gaining the prized role at Sunshine Plaza with Lendlease.
What do you love most about your job?
Shopping Centres are a huge part of local communities and we have the ability to leverage our assets to help out. We get to play a huge role in our local communities, such as supporting the Traralgon Paediatric services fund appeal, hosting golf days and trivia nights to raise money for our local hospital and flood relief after the Queensland floods, or supporting local schools through Sunshine Plaza’s Breakthru school music and dance competition.
What motivates you?
Knowing you must keep improving to stay relevant to customers’ needs. The world of retail and shopping centres is constantly and quickly evolving, if you sit back and continue doing the same thing the competition will pass you by.
What makes a great centre manager?
Passion, you must have passion for what you do. Only shopping centre staff get excited by the small things, amenities, and air conditioning, and find themselves picking up litter in other people’s shopping centres.
My staff are my most valuable asset, I subscribe to surrounding yourself with good people, creating an enjoyable working environment, trusting in their skills and then letting them shine.
What is your most memorable moment of your career?
It will be launch day at Sunshine Plaza. Hundreds of people have been involved in getting us to this day but when the construction, development and delivery teams celebrate the end of their project, the Centre team gets to showcase the new Sunshine Plaza to our customers and celebrate a new beginning with them. Sunshine Plaza is a unique centre and holds a place of pride in the local community and this latest development will show how we appreciate their commitment to us.
Sunshine Plaza, Stage 1 opening included new Myer store
Did you think you would end up in the role you are in now?
Yes, for a few years I coveted the centre manager role at Sunshine Plaza. My extended family lives on the Sunshine Coast and it has been nice to be close to family as well as managing this asset through a redevelopment of this size.
What advice would you give to someone starting in the industry?
Create long lasting relationships. I have contacts that are now spread across all the landlords, it is an industry where we are willing to share experiences.
What do you do in your leisure time to de-stress?
On the Sunshine Coast, we have some beautiful natural attractions on our door step and I like nothing more than getting my boat out on the water, heading offshore. It is quite common when fishing to see whales, dolphins, turtles and bird life, and it is a great natural de-stresser.
What’s your favourite retailer and why?
BCF. Besides stocking everything essential for fishing trips, they have wonderful customer service and product knowledge.
What is the single most important quality you need to possess to be in this industry?
Not everything is going to go the way you think it will or want it to; shopping centres have tens of thousands of visitors every day and with that comes lots of challenges. No two days are the same and you never know what is going to happen next – I think many in the industry would agree that’s what makes it such an enjoyable profession.
To participate in People Profiles, please contact Belinda, belinda@shoppingcentrenews.com.au
