Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre manager leaving to become MD of Rochdale based event management company

Martin Ballard

Martin Ballard, the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre manager, is to leave the Wheatsheaf to take up a new post as Managing Director of Red Cape Marketing, the Rochdale based company specialising in event management, social media and website development.

For the past six years Martin has managed the Wheatsheaf Centre, where he has helped bring the centre through a very tough trading period and is currently working with the owners on a re-development which will bring the centre back to the heart of the community.

Martin said: "Joining the Wheatsheaf as the recession hit the UK was a real eye-opener. We had to deal with companies going into administration and even the shopping centre itself going into receivership – there’s a real buzz to helping businesses survive in times such as these."

With the shopping centre is seeing its own green shoots of recovery, and currently in the middle of a re-development, Martin went on to say: "It’s been a privilege working with both the asset managers and the managing agents for the centre on a scheme that will re-position the shopping centre for years to come – but now that this is nearing completion, it is time for me to take on a role that will see successful projects such as the Dale Con reproduced up and down the country (Dale Con is an annual sci-fi convention held in the shopping centre in Rochdale that has brought over 16,000 visitors to the centre each year, and this year brought in an additional spend of over £34,000 to the retailers in the shopping centre, as well as a 64% year on year increase in footfall on the second day – in real terms an 89% increase over the previous week)."

Martin is currently working with the shopping centre’s asset management team to source a new centre manager who will drive the centre forward to the next level and reposition it as the people’s centre, and is hopeful of completing two significant deals to pave the way prior to stepping back and helping to manage the completion of the re-development towards the end of the year.

Martin said: "Having the opportunity to stay working with the owners through this part of the redevelopment is important, it helps ensure the continuity is there in terms of building knowledge and helps let the new centre manager pick up the reigns and work on other sections of the building the bank are investing in."

Red Cape Marketing (previously iTxt Ltd) has provided marketing events and services for four years to several shopping centres, town centres and sports teams but very much see 2014 as one of growth.

Rahanna Hawkins, Event Manager, explained: "We’re very much looking forward to the rest of this year, from our own re-brand, to companies we’re working with and at the end of the summer we’ve a massive project that is going to see our brand working with some of the biggest names in the music industry."

Martin also recently sold The Daily Rochdale to Rochdale Online and as part of the deal became a shareholder in Rochdale Online.