Candidate Spotlight: Linzi Atkinson, Marketing Manager, The Rock, Bury

Tell us about your career experience and how you found yourself in the shopping centre industry.

After graduating from university with my marketing degree, I got my first job as Marketing Coordinator for an engineering company. After two successful years in this role, I decided to follow my love for travelling and work for a year in Australia, where I got my first experience in the shopping centre industry. I worked as Marketing Coordinator for a scheme in Melbourne for four months, followed by two months at a centre in Brisbane.

On my return, I knew I wanted to stay in the Shopping Centre industry so I contacted Foundation Recruitment where Alex Rowbottom found me my current role, Marketing & Tenant Liaison Manager at The Rock. I have been in this position for two and a half years and am thoroughly enjoying the role!

What are your interests outside of work?

Outside of work I like to travel – I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Australia. I also enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, and am an avid gym goer!

What are your future plans for centre?

I am very happy in my current role and see myself progressing and developing by implementing more adventurous marketing strategies to continuously increase the footfall of the centre! As I continue to progress in the shopping centre industry, I would like to manage a team so I can really get involved in the strategy behind driving the centre forward!

Can you give us an overview of the shopping centre industry?

With the developments in technology, shopping centre marketing has evolved massively over recent years. With ecommerce giving consumers the ability to shop from home, centres are challenged with creating marketing campaigns and ‘experiential’ offerings to influence consumers to visit centres. However, along with this challenge, technology does offer numerous opportunities to develop a variety of strategies to target audiences on an ever increasing list of platforms.

The developments have given marketers like myself,  the opportunity to create innovative strategies with individual tenants to constantly offer exciting experiences to visitors.