Neil Ashcroft takes over a St Johns, which houses more than 100 retailer in Liverpool city centre, after performing the same role at the New Mersey Shopping Park. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool’s St Johns Shopping Centre has appointed a new manager and he has pledged to raise levels of customer service at the city centre mall.
St Johns, which houses more than 100 independent and national retailers, has undergone a £10m refurbishment and now its new boss Neil Ashcroft says he wants to build on that investment with a push on customer care.
He said: “We have lots of independent retailers which gives us a uniqueness – service delivery is really important to them as it is to our core customer care team.
“Over the coming months our cleaning and security staff will be undergoing lots of training to ensure we can offer the same levels of service to every type of shopper in St Johns.
“I want the centre to represent the city and embrace the community it supports.”
Mr Ashcroft, who studied history and psychology at the University of Durham, has joined St Johns from New Mersey Shopping Park in Speke where he held the same role.
He went onto work for another iconic Liverpool brand – TJ Hughes – before then moving on to higher positions in Debenhams and New Look before joining New Mersey.
In his role at St Johns he will oversee the delivery of facilities management, retailer liaison, operations, marketing, lettings, amongst building a host of other key city stakeholder partnerships and relationships.
“St Johns is an iconic centre in a city that gets better and better. It took several months to secure the position, which makes it even more rewarding,” he said.
“It has a credible and relevant retail offering for the local population. Exploring the centre you will always find a store that has what you are looking for.
“There has been an awful lot of investment and inside is much more inviting, slick and modern. It really holds its own in the amazing mix of centres in the city.
“Liverpool is an amazing city that has had a reputational and physical transformation.
“I want St Johns to share in this and be part of the continuation of Liverpool’s success story by working in partnership with the full city region.”