Day in the Life of a Shopping Centre Manager – Chris Davis

Christopher Davis is currently the Centre Director at Clarks Village, an outlet shopping village in Somerset.

Morning Routine:

I’m normally at the gym at around 5:25 in the morning, which I find is a great way for me to start thinking about what needs to be achieved that day, as well as keeping me fit. After the gym I head straight home and get the work and school lunch boxes ready before getting myself ready for the day. I drop one of my daughters off at school most days which I absolutely love and it keeps me feeling really connected and sets me up for the rest of the day.

Workday Highlights:

The Clarks Village management team (retail managers, operations manager, guest ex manager etc) share an office, so it’s really easy to for me to tune into what’s going on through the day, although I do plug my headphones in at times to give myself space to think, plan and work! We have just completed some amazing development works within one section of our centre and we have a lot of leasing activity currently progressing, so I’ve spent a lot of time working with contractors throughout the development schedule and now with brand partners, supporting them ready for what’s going to be a very busy summer. I do love that every day is different within my role, from health and safety to marketing, financial planning to event management, centre development to leasing, nothing is out of reach, but most importantly, I love walking the malls of Clarks Village, speaking to brand partners, shoppers, local stakeholders, contractors and team members and this is something that I plan to do more of.

Lunchtime Escape:

I will always try and step out of the office and go for a walk as I find it hugely beneficial and refreshing to do so, but I will be honest, its not always the case and I will sometimes just use the time to catch up on emails or work, so this is something that I need to try and work on moving forward.

Post-Work Delights:

I usually head home from work ready for the kids bath time and then I go through the bed time routine with them. My wife and I usually cook together and then eat after the girls have gone to bed, as this gives us the time to catch up properly before flopping onto the sofa to watch an episode of Succession, or The Gentlemen, or background TV like George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces! In the summer I will try to go out for a walk, or sit in the garden for a few hours.

Closing Thoughts:

Enter each day as open minded as you can, try to be open to everyone and everything that comes your way, allow yourself to embrace different possibilities, opportunities, people, views, suggestions and interests.

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!