Client: British Land Ltd (Including Meadowhall Shopping Centre)

EPC Lead: Bev Griffiths & Nigel Kay


How to provide continual staff development to ensure public safety at some of the UK’s largest retail sites.


Introduction

With a multifaceted and skilled team working across some of the UK’s largest retail sites, the client wanted to provide continual development to its team to allow them to be able to react to a range of unpredictable events from structural faults to natural disasters such as fire and flood. 

The Client


From its head office in London to its retail sites, British Land hold a diverse portfolio of retail sites across the UK ranging from small ‘community retail parks’ to ‘super-regional’ shopping centres, such as Meadowhall.

It deals with a complex set of needs daily because of the large capacity crowds that use all retails site, which means it stands alone in its diversity and challenges. 

British Land has a number of experienced and highly-trained staff, so when it approached the EPC is was looking to push forward with continued professional development as well as additional training.

They were looking:

  • to develop a three-day bespoke course to deliver crisis management theory
  • to encompass media requirements and the speed of communications
  • to introduce scenario work that could bring together colleagues to share knowledge, experience and enhance a sense of teamwork and collaboration
  • for the course to be aimed at shopping centre duty managers

What We Delivered


The course British Land wanted the EPC to adapt for its use was the Safety in Complex Locations training, originally used by the emergency services. This course was developed and then piloted by the college with British Land’s most senior retail team and managers attending.  The feedback was positive, from the location of the course itself to the training content.

Having received this feedback, British Land went about offering the course to sites across their portfolio for staff who were silver or higher duty of care to attend the training.  

“Everyone who went through this training received a common experience and in turn British Land gets a very diverse portfolio with diverse people trained to a similar level.”

It has taken a number of years for all staff to get through the training, but the end result has been universally well received.

“The feedback we received from staff has been great and the accreditation associated with working with the EPC is worthwhile.”

“One of the most important, and intangible to measure improvements, has been the increased and overall confidence of colleagues.  The company’s experience and competent staff were given an additional boost in their abilities - it reinforced that their way of working is what is used and expected at a national level.”

Although the company is not a Category 1 Responder they now have a level of training that is in excess of what is expected.

Another clear advantage was the clarity of process from recording to delegation that many members of staff reported with this increased confidence.

The main points of contact were Carl Maltravers, Nigel Kay and Beverley Griffiths. 

“We particularly enjoyed working with Nigel who took a room full of very experienced members of staff and taught them something new.  He conveyed essential and important information in an engaging way and at no point talked down to us.”

“Carl really encouraged real dialogue in the room, which is exceptionally important for people of that level of experience.  They feel they need to bounce off of one another.”

“Everything from the location to the hospitality, and the pride in their service was really very good.  We think everyone has really benefited from it.  The overall feeling of working with the EPC is one of reassurance.”

Dawn Osborne DipSCM, Former Operations Manager, British Land