Women in Real Estate Spotlight: Shirley Wilcock

Shirley Wilcock, General Manager, intu Experiences

Shirley’s career in real estate spans over 20 years; working for global companies including American department store, Macys. Her career with intu, owner of the largest and most popular retail destinations, began in 2005, where she joined a small team of two and was soon responsible for managing the promotional and commercial side of the business, as well as building a new team.

In 2013, as part of the rebrand that created intu and its digital strategy, Shirley played a key role in bringing the commercial and promotional business in-house – and she hasn’t looked back since.

From managing agencies to helping deliver promotional activities for the business, intu Experiences is now an in-house team of 30 that is solely responsible for some of the largest global brands including Playmobil, Mazda and Christian Dior. In 2017, the team generated income of £22 million, equivalent to the rental income of intu’s seventh largest centre. The team help retailers reach their true potential whilst bringing joy to customers and making them smile.

Whether it’s generating 1,500 commercial and promotional deals a year so that brands can advertise, open a pop-up store or run a campaign across intu’s flagship destinations, intu Experiences is key to contributing to the non-retail income growth of the business. And, with over 400 million annual customer visits, intu centres offer huge opportunities for those brands as they draw in the crowds, so it’s no surprise brands are keen to sign up.

A founding member of the Opal Awards and member of the Revo Commercialisation Committee, Shirley is a key figure in the real estate industry. Her motto is to “persevere, be resourceful and dig a little deeper to understand the business you work in” – something that continues to help her succeed to this day.

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