14 invest bromley AUTUMN 2014
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14 invest bromley winter 2014
Intu’s ethos is to get customers to do more than just shop, and it is this unique approach that, literally, keeps shoppers on their toes, with stores such as Bromley Reebok FitHub providing free fitness classes for the general public. The store’s assistant manager Naomi Sabah says: “Reebok FitHub has been open for nearly a year now at intu Bromley, and being situated here has, so far, been a resounding success. “We are all about getting people moving and the centre provides us with a gateway to Bromley as a whole.” And intu isn’t the only shopping haven in Bromley. The revamped Bromley North Village features a number of boutique and independent shops, which have most recently benefited from a revamp, following a shop front improvement scheme that has already caused a buzz among locals. As more businesses join the centre, a crucial task on Marc Myers’ plate is to make Bromley into a Business Improvement District (BID), where shops and restaurants are encouraged to provide an additional tax that is reinvested into the area.
Myers recently resigned from a position he held for eight years, as chair of Ilford’s successful BID, to focus on Bromley and is pleased at the support it has so far received. He says: “There is an absolute need to have a BID in Bromley. I believe this is recognised by many businesses and I’m delighted to say, the local authority too. “We have a group of 12 businesses from a proposed BID area already working towards a ballot [to decide whether to have a BID] in October next year.” As Myers approaches his first anniversary in the job, he is clearly eager about the future: “As a general manager you yearn to be able to develop your shopping centre and I am in a privileged position to work for a business that is investing in my centre and the town.”
04 Bromley Reebok FitHub has been open for nearly a year at intu Bromley shopping centre, and is all about getting people moving. 05 Carluccio’s is known for its authentic Italian produce.