Southend Shopping Centre’s ‘The Bridge’ Initiative Nominated for National Award

A project designed to support small businesses in Southend-on-Sea’s Victoria Shopping Centre has been nominated for a prestigious national award, recognizing its innovative approach to revitalizing high streets.

The scheme, dubbed The Bridge, provided six small businesses with six months of free rent in an underused section of the shopping centre’s top floor, alongside business support and branding opportunities. Now, the Victoria Centre is in the running for a REVO Award in the best asset management initiative category. The project transformed six long-term vacant units into an incubator space with £600,000 of funding from the government’s SELEP Fund.

Centre Manager Dennis Baldry highlighted the collaborative nature of the project, stating, “This recognition from REVO highlights the power of collaboration and innovation in reimagining our high streets. The Bridge is proof that when public and private sectors work together creatively, the results can be truly transformative.” The initiative involved partnerships with Southend Council, Rivington Hark, SaveTheHighStreet.org, Kiwi Productions, Beyond.Co, Savills, and Thriver. Within four weeks of launching, over 250 businesses applied, ultimately leading to all six selected ventures graduating to commercial leases – demonstrating the program’s sustainability. You can learn more about the importance of supporting local businesses at SaveTheHighStreet.org.

The success of The Bridge has already generated over 300,000 additional visitors to the centre annually, created 19 new jobs, and boosted the local economy. Similar initiatives are gaining traction across the UK as town centres grapple with changing retail landscapes. Officials stated that the project will continue to monitor the progress of the businesses and explore opportunities to expand the program in the future.