Shaftesbury appoints Matt Thompson to new Head of Property Insights role

Landlord Shaftesbury, which owns a 16-acre portfolio in the heart of London's West End, has announced the appointment of Matt Thompson to the newly created role of Head of Property Insights.

The new role will see him provide cross sector and consumer insights to help drive the portfolio curation strategy, as well as support the performance of Shaftesbury’s occupiers across the portfolio.

Thompson will further enhance and expand Shaftesbury’s in-house research capability and build on its existing data, tools and partnerships to anticipate emerging commercial challenges and opportunities.

Thompson joins Shaftesbury from Colliers, where most recently he was Head of Retail Strategy. He brings over a decade of specialist expertise, working for and on behalf of some of the UK’s best-known retailers, restaurant & leisure operators, landlords and investors.

In his previous role he was frequently required to utilise unique data sets and modelling techniques to support the delivery of innovative research into occupier affordability and consumer behaviour.

His appointment follows the recent launch of Cow Vintage, Route One and L'Estrange retailers in Shaftesbury's Seven Dials, which aimed to bolster the destination’s range of ethical and sustainable retailers.

Brian Bickell, Chief Executive of Shaftesbury, commented: “Matt’s in-depth understanding of our industry, its customers and domestic and international consumer trends, combined with his extensive experience, is a great addition to our skillsets and local knowledge, which enables us to continue to develop our research capabilities and evolve our highly-regarded curation strategies for our popular West End villages.”

Matt Thompson added: “I am thrilled to be joining a team that I have respected and worked closely with for some time. As we emerge from the pandemic disruption, I am excited to have the opportunity to build on the work Shaftesbury has been doing to support of their occupiers and contribute to shaping the future of its unrivalled West End portfolio.”