Driving Long-Term Growth for Gloucester Quays
The Problem
Gloucester Quays, a premium designer outlet and lifestyle destination in South West England, launched in 2009 with ambitious targets. Despite the scale of the launch, visitor numbers fell short of forecasts.
The challenge was to understand why, create a solution, and re-launch with a marketing strategy that could sustain success long term.
The Idea
We identified key customer groups and tailored our approach:
Tactical savings messaging targeted at the primary catchment
Event-driven strategy to engage a broader audience
One standout example was the Food Festival, which grew into the largest event of its kind in the South West, attracting 150,000 visitors and delivering a 15% increase in footfall and 7% increase in sales over time.
The brand evolved continually to keep pace with retail changes, ensuring campaigns remained relevant and effective year after year. The creative culminated in the ‘Time Well Spent’ campaign, rooted in the insight that free time is precious, executed across multiple channels.
The Outcome
+22% increase in sales
+13% increase in footfall
Events averaging 150,000 visitors
Christmas campaign drove +12.5% footfall increase, while the high street saw a 3.5% decline
The team were instrumental in evolving our creative strategy, culminating in the most recent campaign 'time well spent'. Their research based approach, understanding of our customer demographic and our strategy, resulted in the multi-channel execution of a hugely successful campaign that delivered record increase in sales and footfall.
- Alison Tennant, Chief Marketing Officer
FAQs
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What challenge did Gloucester Quays face after launch?
Visitor numbers fell short of forecasts despite a high-profile opening, requiring a long-term marketing solution.
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How did Ideas + Outcomes drive growth for Gloucester Quays?
By identifying customer groups, using tactical savings messaging, and creating an event-driven strategy, including the South West’s largest Food Festival.
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What was the ‘Time Well Spent’ campaign?
A creative platform based on the insight that free time is precious, executed across multiple channels to boost sales and footfall.
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What measurable results were achieved?
Sales increased by 22%, footfall rose 13%, events attracted 150,000 visitors, and Christmas campaigns outperformed the high street by 16 percentage points.
Increase in sales
Increase in footfall
Average event visitors