Celebrating International Women’s Day

As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we are reminded of the incredible strides women have made across the globe and some of the challenges that still lie ahead. This year’s theme, “Accelerate Action,” calls on all of us to take swift and decisive steps towards achieving gender equality.

In this blog, we will share some stories from women in the retail industry who are making a difference and leaving behind a legacy that will hopefully see more women work in prominent roles within our industry over the coming years.

Tina Powley-Mapp, centre director and retail sector lead at JLL, has over 20 years of experience in retail and property management. Throughout her career, she has witnessed significant progress in female equality within the sector.

“There are more open and welcoming conversations happening compared to when I first started. Women are no longer hesitant to stake their place in the industry. I recently spoke at a Kingston Chamber of Commerce event discussing how using my vulnerability as a courage tool helps me tackle introverted tendencies, leaning into my vulnerabilities helps me to avoid limited growth in staying too comfortable. This message resonated with many women in the audience.

“I also love that my role as centre director now intersects with so many other fields, allowing me to continuously learn from specialist contractors on complex builds to surveying and legal practices. It’s also inspiring to see female leaders like Mary Portas being heard; her knowledge and insight into sustainable business and retail are invaluable.

“Bentall has evolved rapidly over the last 18 months. We’ve completely revamped our marketing strategy and are now deeply connected with our local community. I was particularly proud when we were recognised for our ‘Serving Up Sparkle’ campaign with Brite Box. This charity provides nutritional food parcels to families within the Kingston and Richmond community, strengthening knowledge around nutritional value and enhancing numeracy and literacy skills. It’s a great example of how shopping centres can engage with local initiatives to raise community awareness. We won a CSR award and have received global recognition for our collaboration.

“The legacy I hope to leave is one of inspiring the next generation to give back to the community and understand the best ways to do so.”

Victoria Nichol, centre manager at Merseyway Shopping Centre & Redrock in Stockport, began her career running restaurants before becoming a ladies’ wear floor manager at Next on Oxford Street in London. She found the fast-paced environment fascinating, which inspired her to transition into the multi-site role of shopping centre management.

“My previous experience prepared me well for being a shopping centre manager; I understood what tenants needed from centre management teams. Having been in shopping centre management roles for over 20 years, I’ve noticed that the role has evolved to focus more on understanding people—both tenants and consumers—rather than just building management. This shift has opened many doors and allowed more women to thrive in centre management positions. It’s a creative role that can be incredibly fulfilling.

“One campaign I’m particularly proud of is the Giving Tree campaign, which I initiated when I first joined Merseyway six years ago. The campaign encourages the community to donate Christmas presents for vulnerable families in the area. As a community-led shopping centre, Merseyway has made donating to the Giving Tree a cherished tradition for many local families. Last Christmas, we received over £100,000 worth of presents, and the campaign continues to grow each year.

“The legacy I hope to leave is that everyone who has worked with me continues to deliver excellent service. They are the custodians of the shopping centres, and it’s up to them to make these places the best they can be.”

Nicky Blanchard is the centre manager at Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells. She transitioned into facilities management after previously owning an interior design business.

“When I decided to change careers, facilities management seemed like a good fit because I was accustomed to working with numerous contractors as an interior designer. Going from interiors into centre management I saw a big change and found it to be very male dominated and in my 25 year+ career, I have often been dismissed as being the boss (due to being a female). For me, it doesn’t matter whether a person is male or female; being the right person for the job matters more.

“I am very proud of my career achievements. One thing that has helped me along the way is being a good person, first and foremost – tough but fair. I have helped many of my staff reach their full potential. One thing I am most proud of is helping an employee progress from a cleaner to a Soft Services manager over the course of ten years. She eventually left us for a fantastic job opportunity. Mentoring her was very rewarding. As a centre manager, one of the things I enjoy most is working with people and helping them achieve more.

“I hope my legacy will be my focus on the staff within the centre and my role in establishing the Business Improvement District (BID) in Tunbridge Wells. I chaired the organisation for over six years, and it now raises over £600,000 annually, which is reinvested into the town.”

Director at Shoppertainment, Lucy Cornwall-Pearson, said: “International Women’s Day highlights the incredible strides women have made across the globe and speaking to our female centre managers has been eye-opening. We work with some amazing women at Shoppertainment and are proud that more females are coming into centre management roles to construct their legacies and improve the lives of people in their community.”