Covent Garden's The Yards launches unique festive activation

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Dec 2, 2022

It’s a UK retail first for The Yards. The newest shopping location in London’s Covent Garden has chosen pioneering geo-located technology for its Christmas campaign.

The ‘12 Drops of Christmas’, installed by landlord Longmartin Properties, is an activation that “accentuates [its] continual investment into The Yards and innovative approach, as well as [its] active management style with continual tenant engagement and support… [while] reaffirming The Yards as industry leaders”.  

As with many retail campaigns, this one is also “aiming to drive footfall, arouse consumer interest and support occupiers’ sales”. But this Christmas-campaign-with-a-difference allows visitors to unlock exclusive destination offers, via scanning a QR code found within The Yards. 

And that unique-to-UK-retail claim comes via its ability to use the geo-technology without having to download an app. “Once accessed, visitors will be directed to a dynamic map of the destination, providing them with the opportunity to redeem exclusive offers from a range of occupiers”, we’re told. 

 Longmartin Properties is a joint venture between Shaftesbury and the Mercers’ Company and it's worked collaboratively with location-based experiences platform Landmrk. They said the mobile-web-powered technology “will only recognise visitors who are geographically located within a specific proximity of the destination, ensuring targeted consumer engagement”.

The Yards has worked collaboratively with tenants across the destination to create a unique offering with exclusive prizes that can only be found at the location. “Attracting both the curious consumer and savvy shopper”, offers include £500 off at Clarendon Fine Art, a £150 Hawksmoor Gift Card and a complementary Christmas Party at The Conduit, alongside further local prizes.

Running until 12 December, one winner will receive the headline prize of the day, with smaller rewards available for all throughout the campaign. 

The Yards’ Marketing & Community Manager Lynne Henderson said: “In the current retail climate, and with so many shoppers choosing to shop online, it is important for landlords and asset managers to deliver a real point of difference when it comes to customer experience. The 12 Drops of Christmas campaign and debut use of this technology signifies our ongoing investment, innovation, and our future proof approach to ensure The Yards is set apart from its surrounding central London locations.”

Tom Nield, co-founder of Landmrk, added that the campaign “is an exceptional example of what can be achieved when you marry technology and consumer experience.”