How Darlington Borough Council used CACI data to promote their town centre & increase footfall

Solution

Through CACI’s market summary report, Cllr. Chris McEwan, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for economy at Darlington Borough Council, shared how the Council gained clarity on how Darlington compares to other shopping locations.

“One of the standouts was understanding where we sit among other shopping locations,” he explained. “We are thought of as a smaller market town, but we measured up against the likes of Sunderland and Newcastle, and retail areas like the Metrocentre in Gateshead. That was lovely to see and something that we did not expect to come out of the data.”

These insights were also shared with local estate agents and commercial property agents to more effectively promote empty retail units and attract new retailers, contributing to the overall strengthening of Darlington’s town centre.

Results

The report challenged the misconception that certain north and northeast areas are deprived or lack affluence. According to Chris, it proved the contrary: “When we received CACI’s report, it was quite refreshing to see that we actually have quite an affluent population and there is a lot of untapped potential that could be utilised by some of the bigger brands.”

By identifying the best-suited locations for specific brands, the Council could adopt a more tailored, proactive strategy than just waiting for brands to approach them. This instilled confidence for the Council to showcase Darlington’s strengths as a destination and refine its focus on brands that would fit the demographic profile while validating the existing brand and tenant mix.

The findings showed that Darlington’s existing customer base closely aligns with some well-known brands, encouraging the Council to pursue an increased mix of big names to sit alongside their independent stores to continue increasing footfall. The depth of insight exceeded the Council’s initial expectations, particularly in being able to classify demographic groups and align them with brands.

While the focus for many local authorities is traditionally aimed at at-risk and vulnerable communities, CACI’s data offered the Council a broader view to help them understand how to help the wider community. A stronger local economy benefits everyone, creating a knock-on effect that also lifts those facing more challenging circumstances. An increase in jobs resulting from filling empty retail units could further drive numbers of people into the town centre.

Previously, the data available to the Council was limited and did not offer insights associated with available spend or potential additional spend. With CACI’s report, the Council could better understand the centre catchment area, where people shop and where they come to or from to shop again, demonstrating that despite a town being thought of as insular, people will travel if the retail and leisure offer is right. This insight informed complementary marketing resources designed to attract visitors to the town centre and provided a more innate understanding into how demographics and retail, leisure and hospitality brands align to create a more targeted, metrics-based approach for considering Darlington.

In the coming years, the Council aims to have more big brands on the high street and Darlington ranking even higher compared to other shopping destinations. A forward-thinking, proactive future is shaping up for the Council, having drawn up a list of desired retailers to initiate conversations with on coming to Darlington. In doing so, footfall increases across the board, the local economy is boosted, jobs are created for local residents, and a strong retail, leisure and hospitality offering is realised.