St Modwen Properties : . MODWEN APPOINTS SHOPPING CENTRE MANAGER FOR KIRKBY...

13th January 2016

St. Modwen, the UK's leading regeneration specialist, has appointed a new Shopping Centre Manager in Kirkby following its acquisition in November 2015.

Mike Matthews will be responsible for managing the day-to-day running of Kirkby Town Centre, which boasts 400,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space currently leased to 80 tenants, including New Look and Home Bargains.

Mr Matthews will also be responsible for securing new lettings, increasing footfall alongside the St. Modwen team, and driving forward the regeneration of the Town Centre, which will be spearheaded by St. Modwen and carried out in partnership with Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council.

He said: 'St. Modwen has an excellent reputation for managing successful Town Centre schemes and retail-led developments so I am thrilled to be joining the team and am looking forward to meeting old and new customers over the coming months. There is a real opportunity to put Kirkby Town Centre back on the map and we are excited to share our redevelopment plans with the community in due course.'

Steven Knowles, Regional Director at St. Modwen in the North West, said: 'We are thrilled to welcome Mike to our team at Kirkby Town Centre. He brings with him years of experience and knowledge, which will be invaluable as we continue to transform the Town Centre. Mike will play a pivotal role in engaging with the local community and breathing new life into the Town Centre.'

St. Modwen will shortly commence a programme of refurbishment works to some of the existing vacant shops which will make them more appealing to potential businesses.

Knowsley Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, Cllr Mike Murphy, said: 'We're pleased to welcome Mike to Kirkby and look forward to working closely with him as St. Modwen bring forward exciting new plans for the town centre.

'Knowsley Council and our partners have already invested more than £26m in Kirkby town centre in recent years and we are now working alongside St. Modwen to complete the retail-led regeneration.'

Prior to his appointment at Kirkby Town Centre, Mr Matthews was Centre Manager at Wigan Town Centre, working alongside the local authority. In this role, Mr Matthews managed the day to day running of the Town Centre and secured multiple awards for the town, including 'Cleanest Town in the North West' and 'North West In Bloom' for 10 years in a row. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge, with over 17 years in the industry.

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